Forever Loved
by HollyShannenForever
Summary: Life is a roller coaster. Esme plays around with Carlisle at a club and gets pregnant. As a punishment, she's forced to marry Charles&move. She meets Carlisle again 13 yrs later when she works as his nanny. That's only the beginning of life's ups&downs.
1. The Only Single Girl

Esme POV:

A death in the family is not something easy to get over. Especially when you're seven and you have no idea what just happened-why you never saw the person again. You don't understand why she's gone forever. You think she'll come back soon.

The last words I said to my mother as I left for second grade were, "Bye, I love you! See you after school!"

But I never saw her after school. I saw her car and yelled, "Mommy's home!" She wasn't home. Dad had taken her to the hospital because she was having a heart attack and giving birth to my little sister Gianna at the same time.

She never survived, she failed to pull through. All Dad told me at that age was "Mommy's in a better place now,"

I asked if she was coming back to see me. He said no. Just like that. Her death made my father in a bitter mood. He had to raise his daughters all by himself. I took care of Gianna until she was about ten. I had to be her mother, since she never had one. Dad worked all the time, so I was her dad, too. I didn't have the best childhood. No one kissed me good night-I kissed Gianna good night and she kissed me back, but I learned how to be a mother on my own. Gigi said I'd be a great mother someday.

I met my best friend, Renee Sweetling, when a boy pushed me off the swings in third grade. She beat that guy to a pulp. She had a wild side, and I liked that.

Now, my father had a goody-goody, wannabe rebellious teen on his hands. I was part of the popular crowd at Forks High, but the most innocent out of our group of five.

Renee did everything imaginable-she said nothing was impossible. She was the one who looked the most like me, but we were complete opposites. Her mom taught me everything about boys, along with her, when we started puberty. She was nicknamed "Sweet Thing" or "Sweet Thang" by some of the boys. She was the daredevil of our group, and also, the leader. People made bets that she'd be the first non-virgin by the end of senior year. And she was.

Carmen Perez was the hot Spanish beauty that all the girls envied. She stole everyone's boyfriend just by walking past them in the halls. Even I envied her. She had good looks and she looked like a woman by the time she was twelve. She was the hot mama of our group.

Charlotte Walker was from Texas originally-so she had a slow Southern accent that made all the boys faint at her feet when they heard her. Carmen's accent had the same effect. Charlotte was the only one out of all of us who could ride a horse, square-dance, and enjoy a hoedown.

Siobhan McCarthy was the fiery redhead, with so many freckles that we thought she was in the sun for too long. She stood out in our crowd of dark-haired girls, and that's how everyone noticed her.

But me? I was just plain. I was one of the followers. I didn't turn heads. I was shy and naive. I was conservative and didn't wear skimpy clothing. I was only part of their group because I was best friends with Renee. I had heart-to hearts with her, most of the time. She helped me out a lot when I was sad about my mother. Opposites really did attract when it came to me and Renee. The other girls didn't understand our strong connection. We were all best friends equally, they thought. But really, I liked Renee the best, and she liked me the best. We were so close, we were meant to be sisters. I was the mother of the group, and my friends liked calling me an old lady, but really, I just wanted my girls to stay out of trouble.

The five of us were at a restaurant, reading fortune cookies. They were all giggling and saying these fortunes were never real. But I believed in true love. I'd read about it in fairytales, and I figured it could happen in real life, too. All five of us just so happened to have love fortunes. We opened them at the same time, and they allowed me to read first.

"You will meet a tall, blonde doctor," I read. "Well, if that's true, then I'll soon be extremely rich!"

"And girl, you get to tell him to play doctor," Carmen said slyly while licking her lips. "Hella fine!"

"Nice," Renee commented. I continued blushing and looking down at my plate.

"Chin up, Ezzie!" Charlotte laughed. "Darlin', don't you be blushing'!"

"He better be hot too," Siobhan added.

"Mmm-hmm, and you better grab him before I get my hands on him," Carmen said, rubbing her hands together and smirking. The girls cheered and whistled. I couldn't help but giggle.

"All right, enough embarrassing Esme. My turn," Renee smiled. "Oh my god. This is so stupid. I hate cops,"

"You hate-wait, let me read it!" Carmen shouted, grabbing it out of her hands.

"No, come on," Renee whined. Without warning, she slapped Carmen's hand away and read it. "You will be with a dark haired cop. Hmmm. Maybe he's hot,"

"You will marry someone tall, dark, and handsome," Carmen read aloud. "Oh, yes, _muy caliente_!" She fanned herself and motioned for Charlotte to go next.

"A cowboy will attract you when you go to Texas this summer. You gotta be kiddin'! Oh yeah, if only!" she giggled.

"It could happen. Ok, mine says…your soulmate is the one you're with at this moment. Liam? Yeah, he's good enough," Siobhan said with a grin. She was the first one to have a boyfriend. You'd think it would be Renee, but she was a wild player. She flirted and played around with everyone's heart. A true heartbreaker. She was looking for the right one. No one was bad enough for her.

The summer after senior year, all but one of our fortunes had come true. Mine. Charlotte brought home a Texan, Peter Whitlock. She was determined he was the one. Liam promised to marry Siobhan and gave her a promise ring. They'd marry after college. A new boy named Eleazar Weber, who was indeed tall, dark, and handsome, won Carmen's heart.

One day, I let Renee loose, and for once, I didn't regret it. It found her true love.

She was driving us someplace to celebrate her eighteenth birthday-she was the oldest of all of us-and she was speeding, playing loud music, and we were all dancing in our seats. We didn't know the one who stopped us would stop her heart-Chief of Police, Charlie Swan. He looked like he was just starting the job-around 24.

"Shit," Renee muttered. I was in the passenger seat, and I ducked my head when the policeman came to Renee's side. He tapped on the window. "You'll have to step out of the car, ma'am,"

Renee looked dazed and smitten by the man outside her window. He was smiling at her slightly.

"Will you arrest me if I give you a strip tease down at the station?" Renee asked, batting her eyelashes.

"Oh god," I muttered. "I don't know her as of now," I said to the three girls in the backseat. They laughed quietly at our friend's major flirting.

"Shut up," Renee said as she turned to me. Then, she turned back to him. "You know you want to," she looked at his nametag. "Officer Charlie Swan," she said in a seductive tone, licking her lips. I just shook my head and covered my eyes, just glad that this was not happening to me. "I'm Renee Sweetling,"

"No ticket…I'm taking you to jail, sweetheart," he said, winking at her. She opened the car door, rolled her eyes, and slammed the door. He took her hands in his and handcuffed her wrists together. "We can fuck later," he said, but I don't think we were meant to hear that. We stifled our laughter while Renee gave us all the finger. She got on his motorcycle, straddling his torso, leaning the side of her face against his back.

"You are such a bad girl," I said, shaking my head and sliding into the driver's seat. Carmen moved next to me. She was my second best friend.

"Yeah, I'm naughty," Renee admitted with a laugh. The motorcycle sped off with a 'vrooom!' as we drove away, howling with laughter. We knew she'd found her future husband. And she'd no longer be a virgin. I called Renee when we got to the teen club.

"How are you doing?" I asked her, amused.

"Oh God, that's good, baby! Fuck me harder! Oh, that's it! That's it!" she moaned. I couldn't resist my laughter.

"Nice…see you later!" I hung up and told my friends, "She's good!"

"Now, it's just you, baby," Carmen teased me.

Charlotte poked my side. "Go to a hospital to find your honey,"

"Oh no, I couldn't," I said nervously. "See, hospitals make my stomach act up, because of the blood…"

"You're the only one left. You're young and hot. Go for it!" Siobhan cheered.

"I'm not hot! I'm just…me. Esme Platt. Nothing special,"

"Oh, girl, we could make you into the most spicy vixen that a man would go hard for! You're beautiful, trust us! You're a _chica loca_ if you think you're the least bit plain!" Carmen said, putting an arm around my shoulder and hugging me close to her side.

"Do you want to grow old and die alone?" Charlotte asked.

"No,"

"Then we're calling Renee," Siobhan said, and without me approving, she dialed Renee's number. "Hey, Renee. We got a plan to make Esme come out of her quiet little shell. Oh, we should? Yeah, we definitely could do that! Whooo!"

"Um…what were you guys planning?"

The three of them stared at me with devious smiles on their faces. I was suspicious.

"What?"

"When Renee comes home from her night out, we are going to do things to you that are out of your comfort zone for your own good!" Charlotte reported. My eyes widened.

"Time for you to turn into a _hot_ mama," Carmen growled sexily.

"Me?"

"Yes, my pretty one, you. You will _not_ die a virgin!" Siobhan declared.

"But I'm seventeen…"

"And have never had a boyfriend before," Charlotte said. "Darlin', sometimes, you need a man to do all the dirty work,"

"You're right, guys. I want to be somebody,"

"So, you agree?" Carmen asked excitedly.

"Yes,"

If only I knew exactly _what_ they were going to make me do…

**This is the first chapter! Read and review, please! **


	2. Good Girl Gone Bad

Esme POV:

"Open your eyes," Renee instructed me. I was afraid, because I'd heard lots of ripping sounds, the girls struggling to put some silk cloth over me, and gasps of surprise. They wolf whistled a few times. I felt my cheeks warm up, and I hadn't even seen what they'd dressed me in yet! We were going to a club for the first time. Renee was sneaking us in with their boyfriends. This was Operation Find Esme a Man.

The girl in the mirror wasn't me. She was a grown woman, about twenty-five years old, with caramel-colored curls dangling down to her breasts, sparkling diamond earrings, a long silver necklace, and a tight-fitting lacy scarlet dress that revealed my cleavage and the hem of the dress was way above my knees. She also wore black high heels and her nails were painted black. She had black eyeliner and mascara and white eyeshadow and red lips.

"Wow," was all I could say.

"You like it?" Carmen asked.

"Well…it's totally not me, but I guess so,"

"So we did a good job?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes!"

"Great, cuz you look amazing and sexy!" Siobhan exclaimed.

"Thanks,"

"You got an amazing figure. You just gotta show it off!" Renee said. She was bursting with pride at how I was dressed. "Awwww! Our little Esme is all grown up!"

"I'm dressed to impress!" I squealed. "I'm so excited to dance with you girls! It'll be a girls night out, right?"

No one said anything until we got to the club, but they just smirked at me. I was immediately suspicious again and kept being self-conscious about my dress. Charlie came over to us with another man and woman, both Native American.

"Hey, babe," he said, kissing Renee on the cheek. "Guys," he said, addressing all of us, "This is my best buddy Billy Black and his girl Sarah,"

"Nice to meet you," we said, shaking their hands.

"Okay, Esme. Go sit over there, and chat up and flirt with whoever comes up to you," Renee said excitedly.

"Wait, where are you all going?" I asked as they turned to leave me.

"Well, a man wants his woman alone, right? If he sees that you're with friends, he'll think you're fun but unavailable to hang out with him. Now, go! You can come find us if it goes bad, like if all the guys who come up to you are scumbags," Renee said and then pushed me towards the bar. Renee and Charlie left with Billy and Sarah to dance their heads off. Charlotte and Peter, Carmen and Eleazar, and Siobhan and Liam left to get drinks and rooms.

I looked back at them as I sat on the stool, twiddling my thumbs. I wasn't a drinker, and I never wanted to be one. It made people act foolish and I hated the taste of alcohol.

"You alone tonight, miss?" I heard the bartender ask.

"Sorta," I said, rolling my eyes. "My friends ditched me for a while so I could find someone to dance with,"

"You want anything, hot stuff?"

This guy wasn't at all cute. He was all facial piercing and tattoos, and I wasn't the least bit interested in him flirting with me. So I just ignored the comment and said, "Do you have anything…fruity? I'm not much of a drinker,"

"You want fruit punch? Then go to a teen club!"

"Look, I'm not gonna get anything from you if you're just gonna be rude," I started getting up, but he pulled me back into my chair.

"I have margaritas. They taste fruity and not really like alcohol,"

"I'll try that,"

"That'll be five bucks,"

I slapped the five into his dirty palm and a few minutes later, I was sipping a margarita. I felt someone's presence beside me and I started blushing because I felt eyes on me.

"Is this seat taken?" a gruff voice asked.

"Yes, and this one will be too if you sit down," I said, rolling my eyes. All he was doing was boring his eyes into my cleavage.

He sat down anyway, not even listening to me. He stuck out a hand to me. "I'm Charles Evenson,"

He took my hand and kissed it, and then started pressing his lips up my arm. His other hand slipped over my thigh, but I wasn't going to have any of that. I wasn't drunk enough for that.

"I'm not interested," I got up, but he kept following me everywhere I went.

"Baby, what's your sign?"

"Do not enter," I said, walking faster.

"I know how to please a woman, sweet thang,"

"Than please leave me alone," I pushed him away because he was herding me now.

"If I could see you naked, I'd die happy,"

"Yeah, but if I saw you naked, I'd probably die laughing,"

"I want to give myself to you,"

"Sorry, I don't accept cheap gifts,"

"Your body is like a temple,"

"Sorry, there are no services today,"

"I'm here to fulfill your every sexual fantasy,"

"You mean you've got both a donkey and a Great Dane?"

He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me towards his body. I gasped sharply and struggled to get free, but I heard a deep, handsome voice behind us.

"Hey, man, thought she told you to leave her alone,"

"But she wants me!"

"Doesn't sound or look like she does," the blonde man said, shaking his head. "Do you want him, ma'am?"

I shook my head, staring at the sexy blonde in shock.

"Then leave, sir," The guy glared at Charles and then he just left. I sighed with relief.

"Thank you for saving me," I said, laughing a little. "I'm very grateful,"

"You're very welcome. Oh, and you're very beautiful, by the way. No wonder he wanted you. My name is Carlisle Cullen,"

I shook his hand and sparks shot up my arm. "I'm Esme Platt. I'm here with my girls but they ditched me to hang out with their boys,"

"So, you're what, twenty-five?"

I giggled. "No, I'm only seventeen. My friend who's eighteen snuck us in. Shhh!"

"Wow. I'm almost twenty. Thought I had a cougar on my hands," he joked. I growled at him playfully. He took my hand and we walked back to the bar together.

"Favorite drink?" he asked.

"I hate drinking, but I love margaritas, the taste, you know? You?"

"Same here. Drinking makes people crazy. That guy Charles, he's always here. Everyone hates him because he cuts in line for beer,"

"Are you always here?"

"Well, I'm the bartender's best friend, so I gotta be always here. I don't have a drinking problem or anything,"

"It's my first time being here," I said shyly.

"You havin' fun?"

"Now I am!"

"What are you going to be when you grow up? I'm studying to be a doctor,"

"I'd love to do teaching, gardening, and house remodeling,"

"Interesting. I finally meet a real woman," he chuckled. "Two margaritas, please," Carlisle told the bartender.

"You again, the drink hater," he said, pointing at me.

I scowled. "Drinking makes people go insane. Excuse me if I wanna be responsible,"

"Clubs aren't for responsible people, Esme. You can go wild just this one night. Nothing will happen. You'll get a hangover the next morning, and then get over it. It's not like you'll die,"

I looked up into his kind, trusting eyes and nodded. "You're exactly right. I'm gonna get as drunk as Lindsay Lohan and deal with it. Who knows? It could be fun!"

**three hours later…**

"WHOOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed as Carlisle spun me around the dance floor. "THIS IS SO MUCH FUN! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" I squealed like a little girl. I twirled my hair around and around until I was dizzy. Suddenly, I heard my cellphone ring. Oh, great! It was Gianna.

"Where are you? It's past your curfew!" she said worriedly. I checked the time. Oh no! It was close to two in the morning!

"With my friends…" I slurred. I was surprised at how wasted and out of it I was. I felt bad that I didn't even put her to bed and she woke herself up to call me and make sure I was okay!

"What's wrong with your voice?"

"I dunno…I think I liked that margarita a little too much…"

"Oh no! Dad's gonna kill you!"

"Tell him I'm sleeping over at Renee's house when you guys woke up. Please go to bed, Gigi. Don't worry about me. I'm perfectly fine,"

"Okay, I'll cover for you just this once," she said with a sigh of irritation.

"Thankyou," I mumbled, jumbling my words together, because I was really tipsy. I was tripping more than usual, and Carlisle had to keep me up while I was on the phone. I turned my phone off and put it back into my purse.

"I'm tired, baby," Carlisle said, as drunk as I was.

"Yeah, let's go to bed, sleepy time…" I was out like a light by the time he carried me into one of the rooms in the back. He had my legs wrapped around his waist and he was soon stripping off my black lacy bra and panties and putting his dick into my wet core. It wasn't painful at all. I was moaning and gasping as I came over and over again. He lightly bit and massaged my naked breasts and licked my sweet spot over and over. I arched my back and pulled at his hair. Then, he flipped me over and straddled my butt and massaged my back. We continued kissing as we made love. I screamed his name. He screamed mine.

"I love you," I moaned.

"I love and want you forever," Carlisle said back to me.

Neither of us knew what time it was when we finished. We just knew that we had a fabulous time together. The other girls weren't as drunk as I was, and they drove me home.

It was morning when I experienced my first hangover. I threw up in the toilet and rubbed my forehead. I groaned in pain. "Ohhhh, God! What time is it?" I asked, slowly opening my eyes. "What happened to me?"

"It's noon. You were out for eight hours, and you were shit drunk," Renee reported, smiling slightly. "And you lost your virginity to a tall blonde doctor to-be at about three in the morning,"

"WHAT THE _FUCK_?"

"God, you were sooooooo wasted," Carmen said, shaking her head. Everyone was laughing, so I joined in.

It felt good to be bad.

**Read and review, please! She gets into trouble next chapter! **


	3. Punished

Esme POV:

Two weeks later, I looked and felt different when I looked at myself in the mirror.

My breasts were tender and swollen. I was waking up later and later in the mornings, no matter how early I went to bed. My period was late. I felt sick all the time, even though I hadn't even eaten anything. When I did eat, I ate enough for two people. I was obsessed with pickles and ice cream-together. I got headaches all the time. Constipation. I was sad one moment, and happy the next-mood swings. I felt like I was going to faint even when sitting down. I thought it was just because of the heat, but when I told Renee, she told me to take a pregnancy test.

Oh no. Could I be pregnant? But it was just a one night stand!

Still, I peed on the stick and found a tiny plus sign on the top. I tried a few more times but I was still positive. I didn't know what to tell my dad or my sister. Would they like me anymore? I was their golden girl. I was Sandra Dee, for heaven's sake! College freshman never get pregnant! They wait until they graduate from college! I couldn't take care of a baby in college! I loved children, but I didn't have the time! I didn't even remember who the father was, just that he looked hot enough to fuck. I sank to the bathroom floor, sobbing. I tossed the tests in the garbage can. I ran my hand over my belly. It was still small, but I'd give birth at the end of freshman year. I'd have a large stomach all throughout my first year of college. Not a good first impression.

How could I have done this to myself? I wanted to find the father and marry him. You don't have sex before marriage! Too bad I didn't remember his name…it started with a C. I had a picture from that night-Renee had snapped a picture of us dancing together, and I only remembered what he looked like. A hopeless romantic.

I was top of the class senior year. I was supposed to be a junior, but I was so smart that I skipped a grade in freshman year of high school. Now, I was a trashy, good for nothing slut.

My mother wouldn't be proud of me right now. She was probably glaring down at me from heaven.

"Can I come in?" Gianna asked, knocking on the door.

"No," I mumbled, but my voice cracked, giving me away.

"Pleeeeeease? You've been acting weird for a month now!"

"Go away," I didn't want my little sister seeing me like this.

"Esmaaaaaaaaaay!" she whined. "I'm worried about you!"

"I'm worried about me too,"

The door opened and Gianna came in and knelt down by my side. She picked up the tests. "What are these?"

"Nothing, throw 'em back in the trash,"

"You're pregnant, aren't you?"

"You don't know about that,"

"I do too! Our teacher taught us about that stuff! I just graduated from elementary school, you know,"

"Fine, I'm pregnant, but please, don't tell Dad!"

"He'll find out anyway,"

"Find what out? What don't you want to tell me?" our father asked, walking into the bathroom. "Esme, what's wrong? You've been distant for a month! Are you okay?"

"I'm just nervous about college," I lied. "I mean, who's gonna take care of Gianna? You work a lot and stuff…"

"I'm hiring someone, and pretty soon, she will be able to start taking care of herself,"

"I'll miss her so much," I cried, finishing the braid I was making in her hair. "She's my little sister,"

"That's nice…" His eyes trailed to the garbage can with the tests lying on top, and his face went beet red. Oh, shit, I was in the dog house now.

"Esme Anne Platt…" He raised his voice with each word.

"I'm really, really sorry, Dad. Truly, I am. I'll do anything to make it up to you,"

"You're not even eighteen yet!" he roared.

"Daddy, don't yell at Esme! She didn't know," Gianna said, standing in front of me.

"Okay…I'm not at all happy about this. Who is the father?"

"A blonde man…his first name started with C…I don't remember, it'll come to me,"

"You are in huge trouble, young lady,"

"I know," I said, with tears rolling down my face. I was biting my lip so hard it started bleeding.

"I'm not going to hit you or even get ridiculously angry. You have committed a sin, and it would be a sin for me to hurt you in any way. So, your punishment will be to marry-"

I cut him off and stood up. I threw my arms around his neck. "Thank you, Dad! So, so much! I'll try to find the father of my child! I promise you! I'll ask my friends to help me! Oh my god, this is so awesome! I'll go to college next year and take freshman year off," I ran out of the room and jumped on my bed happily. I heard a knock on my door again. It was my dad, and I let him in.

"Esme, you didn't let me finish. I won't make you look for the father. That's impossible,"

"But he's so dreamy…like an angel…"

"He took advantage of you when you were drunk. I'd like to kill him,"

"Please, Dad! I'll do anything! He was drunk too, you know,"

"My point exactly. Now, I have found a wonderful man for you. He's got good prospects and a well respected man in Ohio. You will not be going to college. You will be moving to Ohio and marrying him there. You will be very happy with Charles. He will meet with you tonight. I've called him already, and he's staying for dinner,"

Oh no! Please don't let him be Charles Evenson, the asshole that tried to jump me at the club! This was much worse than my dad yelling at me!

"You're kicking me out?" I asked with tears in my eyes. I blinked furiously to get rid of them. "What? Dad, no! That's unfair!"

"I can't have you here getting pregnant. Look at the example you've set for Gianna. And you need to get away from those friends of yours. They're the ones who got you into this situation in the first place! It's called peer pressure, Esme! Peer fuckin' pressure!"

"They asked me if I wanted to come out of my shell and meet a man. I've never had a boyfriend, Dad! And I wanted to do it, just that one night! And it just so happens that I've got a bun in the oven! Don't you love me anymore?"

"Of course I love you. That's why I care that you're pregnant! I want to murder whoever knocked you up!"

"It wasn't his fault! We both wanted to! It was a mutual thing!" I protested.

"Your mother would be ashamed of you," he said, glaring at me and backing out of my room. "You are marrying Charles. I will discuss this with you no longer. End of discussion," The door slammed shut and he went downstairs to do his work.

I stayed in bed crying all day. The doorbell rang and I heard it open and there was loud laughter. That must have been my dad talking to Charles. I heard Gianna run up the stairs to get me.

"He's sending you away, isn't he?" she asked sadly. She'd been crying, I could tell.

"Yeah. I don't even like Charles. I like this guy," I said as I showed her the picture.

"Hmmm. He's cute. I wish you got his number or something so you could run away with him,"

"Maybe we'll run into him someday,"

"Will I see you ever again?"

"I don't know, Gigi. I'm moving to Ohio," I said, shaking my head. She hugged me around the waist and the tears started again. I sniffled.

"I don't want you to go, Esme,"

"I know. I love you, Gianna,"

"I don't like that man downstairs. He looks creepy, like he wants to eat you for dinner,"

"I don't want to go downstairs," I moaned, putting my pillow over my head.

"Dad says you have to. Right now,"

"Noooooooo!" I groaned, beating my fists against the comforter. "My life is _over_!"

She pulled me off the bed and together, we walked downstairs, hand in hand. I was soon face-to-face with the man who tried to pick me up that night-Charles Evenson.

**Read and review, please! Two more chapters of Esme POV and then we see Carlisle POV and Esme's friends POVs!**


	4. Tearful Goodbyes

Esme POV:

I remembered him, because I was sober when I met him. Gianna sensed my fear and squeezed my hand soothingly. I gulped when he took my hand to shake it.

"Charles, this is my daughter, Esme Platt. Esme, I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine's son, Charles Evenson,"

Charles' sick smile stretched across his face and he kissed my hand. "Hello again, my precious,"

"You two met before?" Dad asked.

"Yes. He tried to ask me out and get me in bed when I went out _before_ I was drunk," I said smugly. Ha. See if this marriage will work _now_!

"I was just doing what you asked of me, Mr. Platt. She turned me down every time,"

Wait, _what_? I took my hand out of his grimy one and stared at my father in disbelief.

"Thank you for trying, Charles,"

"You knew I went to a club?" I asked doubtfully.

"I installed a tracking device in your cell phone," he said evilly and then left the room. Gianna followed him when he beckoned for her to come. I swallowed the bile that was slowly rising in my throat.

"Marry me, dollface," Charles said, pulling out a black box and revealing a cheap looking ring. He pulled it out of the box and pushed it over the third finger of my left hand. "And then we can run away together to Ohio,"

"No," I said quietly, with tears streaming down my face. "You can't make me do this,"

He grabbed my wrists hard and pulled me towards him. "Look at me, you bitch! We're marrying tomorrow and we're leaving for the airport right after dinner. Not another word out of your fresh mouth. You are my wife and you will do as I say," Then, he kissed my lips roughly and bit hard.

"Esme, make dinner. Serve Charles first. He will be your husband, after all," my father directed me.

"Yes, sir," I said, saluting him mockingly. I wiped away my tears and began making dinner. Gianna was trying not to cry. Charles winked at her and ruffled her hair. "You'll be a good wife to a man one day, won't ya, kid?"

"It depends. If he's nice to me, I will. If he beats me, I'll run as fast as I possibly can," She cocked her head and smirked at him.

"Gianna Mary Platt!" my father almost yelled, pounding his fist on the table and making the little girl jump. "Mind your manners, girl! What you said to Mr. Evenson was very rude! Apologize immediately,"

I smiled back at her and she rolled her eyes. "Sorry, dude," I bit my lip to stifle my laughter. "But you're too old to marry my sister. She's only seventeen and you're like, in your thirties. Sorry if I'm just overprotective. As long as you take good care of her, I won't worry. She can visit us sometime, can't she?"

"If she is a good girl, then yes,"

"Don't worry. She's a very good girl. She's also the best sister ever. So don't you dare hurt her, k?"

I wanted to hug her and spin her around.

"You don't get to tell me what to do, child. I am the adult, you are not. Got it?" he asked through gritted teeth. I gave my sister a warning look because I didn't want to see him mad and hurt my baby sister. She was too young.

"Fine, whatever,"

I chuckled. "Kids these days. Gianna, please, don't aggravate him. I can fight my own battles,"

"Okay, Esme. Sorry, Charles. I get mad when I'm hungry," she shrugged. "So, can I come to the wedding tomorrow and be her bridesmaid?"

"No. It's too short of a trip for you. You'll just have to go home right after the wedding, so forget it,"

"But Daddy's going! I wanted to be a flower girl at least!" She looked like she was about to cry.

"Sorry, honey. Esme needs to learn independence after what she got herself into when she did not have independence," Dad said, ruffling her hair. "And besides, Daddy has to walk Esme down the aisle,"

"But who's gonna toss the flowers?"

"We're not going to have one, but I don't care," Charles said.

"But she'll look so cute, Charles. She can wear a pink dress," I begged.

"A wedding is not for children,"

"Yes it is, Charles. I am a child getting married! I am seventeen years old and about to start freshman year of college!"

"Well, you seem like an adult if you think it's okay to be pregnant at your age!" my dad thundered.

"Damn it! Better be a boy. I got no patience for girls…" Charles muttered.

"Yes! A boy would be able to help you as he grows older!" my father exclaimed.

Gianna and I shared a horrified look.

"Who's the dad?" Charles asked.

"Some blonde man, I don't remember his name," I said, trying not to sound wistful.

"Should've been me,"

"Oh, please!" Gianna screamed, standing up to face him.

"Gianna, sit down," my father said calmly.

"No, Dad. I'm sticking up for my sister,"

"Go to your room,"

"Without dinner?"

"Upstairs, now," Dad growled. "You provoked him,"

"NO! THAT'S CHILD ABUSE!" she shouted as Dad carried her up the stairs. She beat her fists against his back. I heard her crying from her bedroom as Charles laughed silently.

"Stupid kid," he murmured.

I served them, even though I wanted to throw it in their faces. After Charles went home, I took out some of the dinner I'd saved for Gianna and went upstairs with it while my dad watched TV. She was sleeping and I heard her stomach growling. I woke her up gently.

"I have dinner for you, sweetie," I said, brushing her hair away from her red-rimmed eyes.

"Daddy said I was a bad girl,"

"You weren't a bad girl, baby. You were helping me, and I love you for that. Thank you very much. But arguing with Charles isn't the best idea. He yelled at me for you yelling at him and almost smashed my face in,"

She sat straight up. "_What_? Did you tell Dad?"

"I tried, but he wouldn't listen. He said I'd grow to love him," I broke into loud cries.

"I'm sorry, Esme," she said, patting my hair. I held her close to me until I felt my phone ring. It was Renee.

"Wanna go bowling tomorrow?" she asked. Oh, right, Friday night bowling! I'd miss it this time.

"I can't,"

"Next week?"

"I'll be gone," I said with a sniffle.

"Where?"

My breath shook. "I'm moving to Ohio and getting married. My punishment for getting pregnant,"

"What? Are you fuckin' kidding me?" she shouted.

"No, I'm not. Tomorrow I am marrying a pig,"

"Oh, God! Oh my God! We'll be right over," Her voice was breaking as she hung up.

Five minutes later, the four of them were at my house.

"Esme, no visitors!" my dad yelled.

"Come on, Mr. Platt, we just wanna say goodbye," Carmen begged.

"You'll never see her again, girls,"

"We know," Charlotte said angrily, and they all rushed upstairs. We hugged each other madly and sobbed into each other's arms. They hugged my sister too, and when they were gone, we promised to keep in touch.

"Goodbye, Esme," Siobhan said tearfully.

"Bye," I said flatly. I hated goodbyes, and Renee did too. She just gave me a glum look and waved. But our hug was so tight it nearly knocked the breath out of me.

"¡Quiero matarte!" Carmen was shouting at my father as they walked downstairs. "¡Usted es estúpido!"

"Some gentleman," Charlotte added.

"Asshole!" Renee said through her tears. All four of them gave him the finger as they left my house for the last time.

"Bye, girls," But they were already gone. I sat on my bed and looked up at the ceiling.

"Mom, what would you do if you were in my situation? Please help me. I need you right now. Please. I love you,"

Her answer was a roll of thunder and a flash of lightning. She must have been really mad at me. I was mad at me too. This wouldn't have happened if I didn't get pregnant. I'd still have my life.

I cried myself to sleep and prepared myself for the events that were taking place tomorrow.

**Read and review, please! Every chapter! It means so much to me!**


	5. Pain

Esme POV:

"He's completely different than the animal I met at the bar," I was telling Renee over the phone.

"People can change, you know,"

"Yeah, maybe…" I said uncertainly. Charles was being nice to me at the wedding, even though I was crying as I walked down the aisle. Everyone thought I was crying tears of joy, but they were sad tears. I realized Charles was just acting, because as soon as he got me to his house, he snatched my cell phone from my hands and smashed it with a hammer a few times until it was in smithereens. I stared at my broken phone as a lump rose in my throat. He was going to cut me off from everyone I knew and loved.

"Why'd you smash my phone?" I asked angrily, sounding like a bratty teenager, because I was one!

"Because you are _mine_! And anything that is mine only gets to communicate with me and that _thing_ living inside you-if it's a girl. If it's a boy, don't bother. He'll be mine too, and not yours. You deserve nothing," Then, his tone turned sarcastic. "Isn't it amazing how you once had it all, but in a day, you lost it all?"

I put my chin up to show that I wouldn't back down. He'd get tired of bossing me around if I didn't put up with it. "I am not a _thing_, Charles, and neither is my baby," I folded my arms stubbornly across my chest, fighting the lump that was forming in my throat, yet again.

"Do not argue with me, woman!" he yelled, and my back was thrown against the wall. I hissed in pain as the back of my head thudded on the wall.

"Stop it!" I said fiercely, clenching my fists. I couldn't punch him, because he had a strong grip on my upper arms, so I beat my fists against his hands. He wouldn't move. "Let me go!"

"IF I LET YOU GO, YOU WILL RUN! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, BITCH? YOU ARE MINE, NOW! NO ONE ELSE CAN HAVE YOU! YOU WILL NOT GET PREGNANT AT AGE SEVENTEEN AND GET AWAY WITH IT! SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DO AS I SAY!" His face was red, and I could see the veins in his neck get bigger as he got angrier. Spit was coming out of his mouth as he was yelling. Some of it was flying into my face and I closed my eyes.

"YOU LOOK AT ME NOW, YOU FUCKIN' SLUT! LOOK INTO MY EYES AND SAY YOU WILL DO WHAT I TELL YOU!"

"You're spitting in my face. Calm down!"

He forced my chin up, once again making the back of my head hit the wall, and I was almost dizzy. I willed my tears not to fall. I wouldn't look weak in front of him. I looked at my arm after he released it and saw a brownish-reddish bruise forming in the shape of his handprint.

"I DON'T CARE IF I SPIT IN YOUR FACE! YOU DESERVE IT!"

I didn't like shouting because it made my throat dry up, but I had to holler right back at him.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK LIKE THAT TO ME!" My voice cracked on the word "me", and I felt a tear slide down my cheek.

"What did you just say?" he asked spookily. He let go of my other arm and raised his hand. Before his hand reached any part of me, I ran to the nearest room and locked the door. He hit the wall and swore.

"Get back here, you little cunt! I need to give you what you deserve!"

He continued shouting obscenities as I hugged my knees to my chest and rocked back and forth, humming to myself while quietly weeping into my knees.

"I'LL KILL YOU! I WILL FUCKING MURDER YOU!" he continued as he banged on all the doors in the house. I'd escaped so fast he didn't even notice because he was concentrating on hitting something. My heart rate sped up as he reached where I was. His boots slammed into the door over and over again and I was backing up against the other side of the wall. I was too scared to speak, so I clamped my mouth shut and wiped my tears away. Then, I got an idea. I was in the bathroom, so I quickly started stripping and turned the shower water on. I heard the door unlock and then I froze, pressing my back up against the wall.

"I know you're in here, you worthless piece of shit!" I peeked through the shower curtain and saw him undressing. I gasped quietly and turned around. He was just plain ugly, and even scarier looking when he was naked! Before I knew it, two hands were wound tightly around my neck and I gasped in pain. He slammed my face into the wall, successfully creating a cut on my forehead.

"Ouch!" I yelped as he chuckled. He loosened his grip on my neck and then let his hands slide down my shoulders and then my arms. I shivered as his fingertips grazed the sides of my breasts. I could feel his hot, stinky breath on the back of my neck as he whispered, "Your skin is so soft,"

I took a shaky breath. "Thank you,"

"Let's get down and dirty in the shower,"

"But wouldn't we stand up and get cleaned up in the shower?"

His hands trailed down my sides and touched my belly. I flinched, not wanting him to hit the baby. Instead of hurting my baby, he started stroking the top of my vagina, and my heart beat faster. My brain was screaming at me to pull his hands off my lady parts and kick him in the balls. But I couldn't turn around, because I was squished against the wall.

"Funny. You have a very nice body. And a tight ass, too. All before you're a legal adult,"

He ran his hands over my butt and I looked over my shoulder to see what he was going to do. I saw his penis erect as he came closer to me. I closed my eyes tight to prevent anymore tears from coming out as he entered me.

The pain was unbearable. It lasted for five minutes until he turned off the water and said, "Fuck the shower. I just wanna fuck on our bed! Dry yourself off and don't bother getting dressed,"

"But it's only five-" I was able to say before being slapped across the face.

"What did I tell you?" he growled, twisting my arm a little.

"Sorry," I exhaled.

"Good girl," he said, patting my head. He left the room and I put the towel tightly around my body. Even with the towel covering up my most private areas, I still felt too exposed and very vulnerable. I looked down at my feet as I walked upstairs to his bedroom, making sure I didn't collapse into tears. The door was open and he was sitting on his bed, naked as a jaybird, looking disgusting as usual.

"Come in, girl, I don't have all day," he said, loudly clapping twice to make me look up. I was clutching the towel around me, not wanting to let it go.

**Read and review! You know the drill...**


	6. Living Hell

Esme POV:

"I-I'm ready," I said nervously. Let's just get this over with.

"There's nothing to be scared of. You've done this before," he said, gesturing at my belly and coming closer. Every time he took a step closer to me, I took a step back. Pretty soon, he was against me like he was in the shower, but I had a towel covering my sensitive areas.

"You look so sexy, doll. I could just eat you up. Now, let down the towel!" he commanded.

My heart thudded violently against my chest as I slowly let it go. I looked down as it fell around my ankles.

"God damn," he murmured to himself. I looked up at him and followed his eyes. He was licking his lips and panting, staring at my breasts. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around my chest and sank to the floor and hugged my knees to my chest.

"Get up! I'll be gentle!"

"Please…not now…" I sniffled.

"GET UP! GET UP NOW, YOU STINKING WHORE!" he shouted, grabbing me by my wrist, pulling me up, and throwing me on the bed. I rolled to my side, but he jumped on top of me and rolled me on my back again.

"Don't hurt me," I whimpered.

"Shut that little trap," he said, pressing his dirty lips on mine. When his tongue got in my mouth, I bit down on it hard and he pulled back immediately. Once he was kneeling over me, I took that chance to knee him in the crotch. He fell back off the bed, swearing, "YOU STUPID UGLY LITTLE BITCH! GET BACK HERE!" as I got up and started getting dressed. I couldn't even get my suitcase zipped before I was pulled back into the room. I was breathing hard as he stripped me.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME, EVER! YOU ARE HERE FOR THE REST OF YOUR PATHETIC LIFE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

I was so mad and scared at the same time that I was clenching the sheets in my fists as tight as I possibly could. I screamed out loud right in his face and then he pushed me back on the bed. He licked my nipples and chewed on them for a while before moving on to my vagina. Then, he stuck his straining member into my core, and I cried out in pain while he sighed with pleasure.

"And now I have you, and I am the happiest man in the world!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

I kept bouncing up and down as he went into me while licking my breasts. Then, he stood up and pulled me down to the ground. "Give me head,"

"What's that?"

"Surely you know what it is, you probably gave it to that blonde guy!"

"I don't remember, I was passed out," I said, standing up carefully, only to be stumbling back on the floor again. He'd kicked the top of my chest, which hurt like hell, but at least he didn't hit my stomach.

"Do not talk back to me, child! Suck my cock!"

"Um…okay," I opened my mouth and put my lips around his dick, very carefully. It was so gross!

"Swirl your tongue around it, now!"

I almost gagged as I did so while he moaned. Then, I felt his cum flow into my mouth and almost threw up.

"Yes, baby, yes!" I released his dick and wiped my mouth. "Now, make me dinner and get yourself dressed! You look like shit, blood's coming out your cunt,"

"Oh," I mumbled, looking down. No wonder it hurt so much. I bit my lip as I felt more tears slide down my face. I wiped up the blood and sticky cum spreading around my thighs and in my vagina and began getting dressed. Then, I made him dinner, hoping it would turn out good. I wanted to kill him by food poisoning, but I couldn't risk it in case my plain failed. He'd murder me for sure.

"Hurry up!" he roared as I almost tripped on my way to giving it to him. I set it in front of him when I finished dinner.

He banged his hand on the table. "Get the silverware out! I'm not eating with my hands!"

I got the napkins and the silverware out and put it next to his plate. He grabbed the utensils and the napkin out of my hand and pushed me away. I staggered back and got my own food. He chomped so loud on his food and let it dangle out of his mouth the whole meal while I just stared at my food while eating. At the end of dinner, I ran to the bathroom and threw up.

"HEY! WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GO? CLEAR MY PLATE!" I heard a smashing sound and quickly rinsed out my mouth. I ran out of the bathroom to see that he was throwing our plates at the wall so the pieces landed in the sink. "CLEAN UP THAT MESS! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?" He shoved me to the ground so I landed on my hands and knees. My stomach lurched, and I vomited again. He kicked my side and I choked on my own vomit.

"I'm sick, Charles! I'll clean it up, don't worry,"

"Damn right you will. And you're a horrible sight right now. Wipe that baby spit-up off your face while you look for the shards of glass that _YOU MADE ME BREAK MY PLATES INTO_!"

"I'm…sorry..." I said as I started to cry. "Ouch!" I squealed as glass dug into my palms and my knees. "It hurts so bad, and I have a stomachache," I groaned in pain.

"I DON'T CARE! STOP THAT USELESS CRYING! THAT BETTER BE CLEANED UP WHEN I GET BACK FROM THE BAR TONIGHT!" he shouted after drinking a whole bottle of wine. He dropped it into the sink with a loud bang and left the house. He'd locked the door from the inside so I couldn't get out.

With him drunk, the pain was so much worse when he got home later that night.

**Poor Esme! I want to cry! But please read and review, and you will hear from Carlisle next chapter! I promise! And you won't hear from Esme again until her baby is born nine months later!**


	7. We All Miss Her

Carlisle POV:

As soon as I got my job at the hospital after college, I'd quit working for the bartender. I'd been looking for that beautiful girl I met a month ago, but she never showed up again. Neither did any of her friends. I remember the fun we had that night. I don't remember her name, it started with an E, but I couldn't put my finger on her name. We were both too drunk to get each other's phone number. No one thought that night, we just fucked. I felt bad that I just humped her and then we never saw each other again. A one night stand is not something you're supposed to wonder about, but I wanted to see this girl again. She seemed very special and she still held a place in my heart. Her friend gave me a picture of the two of us dancing, and I had it in my pocket all the time, so I knew what the nameless girl looked like. Heart shaped face, cute dimples, gorgeous caramel-colored curls, and pretty green eyes. And she was amazing in bed, so wet and warm against my straining cock…I felt myself getting hard just thinking about her. God! I had to stop these perverted thoughts about this lovely woman!

Then, I saw the four girls with their four boyfriends. I looked around them to see if I could find the shortest girl, the girl I wanted to have a second date with, whose name started with an E. I gave up when I couldn't see her. Maybe she was in the bathroom.

"Where's your friend?" I asked the girl on Chief Swan's arm.

"Wait, do I know you?"

"I think so. You took a picture of me and your friend dancing that night, remember? Carlisle Cullen…"

"Oh! _That's_ your name! Esme barely remembered you. She said your name started with C, and the rest of us forgot too. We were so wasted!" She laughed. "I'm Renee Sweetling, by the way," We shook hands.

"Soon to be Renee Swan," the chief said, winking at Renee.

Renee chuckled humorlessly. "Esme Platt? Oh, she's pregnant and she moved away," She chewed her lip nervously. "She was forced into a marriage,"

I felt my heart breaking for her. "_What_? Is this supposed to be a joke?" I almost yelled. "She's pregnant with my child?"

"I'm sorry. After her dad found out she was knocked up, he introduced her to Charles Evenson, that loser who tried to take advantage of her when you saved her,"

"Charles-" I started, clenching my fists. "OH MY GOD! I'M GOING TO KILL THAT ASSHOLE! WHERE IS HE?" I wasn't usually a violent man, but the thought of my future girlfriend in that man's filthy hands repulsed me to no end!

"Carlisle, calm down! I don't want you to get kicked out of here! They're gone, they moved to Ohio, she had no choice. It was her dad, not her! Please, just hear me out," Renee pleaded. "We miss her too," A tear fell from her eye.

"I apologize, Renee. I didn't mean to yell at you and make you cry. I'm so sorry,"

"No I understand. I was boiling mad, too, when I found out! We all gave her dad the finger because we'll never see her again,"

"Who's this?" a Spanish girl asked from behind Renee.

"Carmen, this is Esme's mystery man, Carlisle Cullen. Carlisle, meet my friend Carmen. Oh, and these are our other friends, Charlotte and Siobhan," she introduced me, and I shook hands with each of them as she said their names.

"Pleased to meet you all,"

"You too," Carmen said with a smile. "So, you wanted to ask her for a second date?"

"Yeah," I said wistfully. "But she's with that pig!"

"It's hard for us too. We miss her so much. She was the heart of our group, and also the baby, you know, the youngest. She turned seventeen on July 13th,"

"But how is that even legal? Charles is thirty-seven years old!" I was trying not to lose my temper this time. The thought of his hands on her-ugh!

"Her dad said it was fine, and of course, to be married under eighteen, you have to get parental consent, so…" Charlotte trailed off, shaking her head sadly.

"Can't you do anything, Chief Swan?" I asked angrily.

"Sorry, buddy. I was going to, but they escaped right when I found out from my girl,"

"Argh!" I growled. "Fuck! What about Mr. Platt?"

"He didn't do anything illegal, he just gave her an unfair punishment,"

"He sent her into the hands of the Devil!"

"I'm sure he didn't know Charles was that bad. I'll look into it, though. I promise,"

"Thanks, man," I said, slowly relaxing my jaw which was so tight that it started to hurt. "I'll call Esme tonight,"

"Her phone isn't working. It just goes straight to voicemail. I think he either threw it away or she let her phone die and he never let her charge it again. We tried calling her for two weeks straight after she left, but it only worked before she got on the plane," Siobhan reported. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Hey, sexy, wanna dance?" some blonde bimbo asked from behind me.

"Sorry…" I muttered, walking away to get a margarita. I was so stressed out that I needed something to calm down my muscles and my fists that were aching to punch something-or rather, somebody, such as Charles or Mr. Platt.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just need to drink,"

I danced with her anyway-but I didn't fuck her, because I'd given my virginity to Esme, and she'd given her virginity to me, and I didn't want to waste it on anyone else. I danced with millions of other women, but we did nothing intimate. I was saving more of it for Esme, if she ever happened to escape him.

I blamed myself for it. If I hadn't been so drunk, I would have told her she didn't have to give herself to me. We both agreed to fuck-so it wasn't like I raped her, but still! At least she took advantage of me too-she gave me the best blow job I'd ever had in my life! She kissed my chest and my neck and just about everywhere! I was glad part of me was inside her, and part of her was inside me. I tucked the picture in my jeans pocket and left for home.

**Read and review, please! Next chapter…more Carlisle POV!**


	8. Happy Families

Carlisle POV:

I was helping Dr. Snow in the maternity ward. I could hear the woman, Mary Smith, screaming her full head off from all the way down the hall.

"She's right in here," he told me as we came through the room. A man was trying to calm her down.

"Just breathe, Mary," the man repeated. Mary continued to do labored breathing.

"How far along are we?" I asked, as Dr. Snow gave me an approving look.

"Her cramps are about two minutes apart. I think she's ready," the man said. "I'm Randall, by the way," He shook my hand.

"OH MY GOD I WANT IT OUT! I WANT MY BABY OUT! GET IT OUT! NOW!" the woman screamed.

"Honey, it's going to come out soon," Randall tried to soothe her, but she kept shouting.

"I see the head!" I commented. This was my test, and Dr. Snow would give me the job early if I aced it. I seemed to be doing very well!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"The shoulders! Ok, the worst is almost over!" I encouraged. "Just keep pushing!"

Randall was standing in the back of the room, looking completely pale.

"I CAN'T!" she sobbed. Then, she gave a grunt and the baby was halfway out. All that was left were the legs. When the baby finally came out, I picked it up and washed the blood off of it. Then, I announced, "It's a boy! Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Smith,"

Mary sighed with relief and reached out her arms to hold her son. "Thank you, Dr. Cullen. It's amazing you're not a doctor yet,"

"You really helped her out," Randall said, smiling.

"Now, we have a miracle," Mary murmured, kissing the top of the baby boy's head. "What should we name him?"

"How about Garrett? After my favorite Uncle Garrett,"

"I love that name. Sounds perfect, sweetheart,"

They shared a kiss, but I couldn't watch. It reminded me too much of what I should be doing now with Esme.

I went back to my apartment and was met by my roommate, Amun. A dark-haired girl was leaning into him and she was heavily pregnant.

"Oh, hey, Carlisle. This is my girlfriend Kebi. Kebi, this is my buddy, Carlisle,"

"It's nice to meet you," I said, shaking her hand. She nodded and smiled shyly at me.

"Hello. It's very nice to meet you too. I'm having twin girls any time now," she said with a grin.

"We've already picked out the names. Bree and Tia," Amun added.

"They sound like good names for girls," I complimented them.

"Thanks. I'm due November 20th,"

"Only two months! I know you're excited,"

"Oh, I am. We've always wanted children. They are a blessing,"

"They sure are,"

"Wanna feel my stomach? They're moving around in there, I think,"

I felt a tiny fluttering and then moved my hand away. "Yep, I think they're dancing," All three of us laughed.

The doorbell rang and I went to get it. It was Billy and Sarah Black, along with two twin girls in their arms. They looked about one year old.

"Oh, hey, Billy, Sarah, how are you doing?"

"We're good," Billy said for the whole family.

"After having twins, I don't think I can do anymore. Maybe I'll wait three years," Sarah chuckled.

"I've seen women give birth firsthand. Did you know that I got my doctor's job today? Dr. Snow, my teacher, said I was wonderful,"

"Congratulations!" they both said.

"Mama?" one of the twins asked.

"Dada?" the other one asked. They were both rubbing their eyes because they'd been sleeping.

"Girls, meet a good friend of ours, Carlisle Cullen. Carlisle, this is Rachel," Billy said, kissing the little girl on the top of her head.

"And this is Rebecca-but we call her Becky for now," Sarah stated proudly, bouncing the little girl in her arms and kissing her cheek. I shook their little hands and they started crying.

"Aw, girls, it's okay, he won't hurt you! See, he's nice," Billy assured them. I took the girls into my arms and Sarah tickled them a little bit, and they soon cheered up. Pretty soon, all of us, including Amun and Kebi, were talking and laughing as the girls slept in my arms. When they woke up, they wiggled out of my arms and started crawling all over my apartment, murmuring "sissy," to each other, giggling, and giving each other hugs. I fed them milk bottles and gave them mashed up bananas. Then, we played soothing music and they calmed down a bit more after eating. As Billy and Sarah left, Sarah pulled me aside.

"You'd be a great father someday,"

"Thanks," I said simply, and then whispered, "I was supposed to be one," They weren't supposed to hear that, but Billy, Sarah, Amun, and Kebi turned to look at me.

"What happened?" Amun asked seriously.

"I went to a club…had a one night stand with this beautiful girl, apparently, Esme Platt is her name, and she ended up pregnant at age seventeen. When her dad found out, he forced her into a marriage, and now, that guy is the father, not me anymore," I grumbled.

"I'm so sorry, Carlisle," Billy said, and Sarah and Kebi put reassuring hands on my back. "I'm sure you'll find her soon,"

"How would I find her? She's in Ohio,"

"If the marriage got to be horrible, she'd run back here," Sarah said plainly, and I nodded.

My parents had died in a car accident when I was too little to remember, and my favorite grandpa John and favorite grandma Vera took me in. Later that night, my grandpa called me. "Hey, my favorite grandson, how are you doing?"

"Fine, Grandpa, except that I feel like I've gone through three reruns of 'Happy Families'! I'm a little jealous, everyone around me is starting a family…"

"Then find a girl and start a family!"

"I did find a girl, two months ago, and she's pregnant-"

He cut me off. "Well, what are you waiting for? Ask her to marry you!"

"Grandpa, stop. Her father found out she was pregnant and forced her to marry another man and they moved to Ohio. I'll never see her again,"

"Don't say that. If you believe you'll see her, it could happen,"

"Thanks, Grandpa,"

"I wish you luck,"

They were all correct. If I just believed, it could happen. Anything can happen if you just believe. I repeated that phrase in my head as I went to bed that night.

**Read and review, please! It's like a kid in Disneyland or on Christmas!**


	9. Adoption

Carlisle POV:

Renee told me all about Esme's kid sister and her father, and where they lived. I wanted to beat this guy to a pulp, but when I drove to the house to find him, I found him being dragged away in handcuffs by Charlie Swan. The police car sped away and then I heard someone riding a bike behind me. I jumped out of the way just in time, but the small girl crashed her bike into a bush and fell down anyway. I ran over to help her up. She was brushing off dirt and leaves from her jeans. Thankfully, she had a helmet on, which she was now taking off. I didn't see much damage, just a little scrape on her elbow, but when I offered a hand to help her up, she was wincing in pain. I saw tons of blood flow out of her palms where she'd landed.

"Sorry, I saw you, and I swerved…" She blushed. "Wait, you-you're-aren't you…?" She seemed lost for words. She just gaped at me in astonishment. "I'm Gianna, uh…Esme's sister,"

"I'm Carlisle Cullen, now a doctor. I got the job early. Good thing you ran into a doctor,"

"Almost literally,"

We both laughed. "Are you okay, Gianna?"

"I'm fine, I just need bandaids. Nothing hospital worthy. Well, since you're the guy Esme was supposed to marry, since you are the father of her baby, you can come in. She called you a 'dreamy blonde God,' and she was right. You're perfect for her,"

"Smart kid," I said, ruffling her hair. I opened the front door for us both after she parked her bike on the side of the house. "Is anyone home?"

"Nope. My mom died when I was born, and my dad just got taken away because he stole a ton of money from his company. Also, he was planning to move me out of the house with another of his friend's sons when I turn seventeen. So it had nothing to do with Esme being pregnant, just another one of his stupid excuses. So basically, I live alone. Before Esme left, she was my mother. My father was never really home, claiming he was a workaholic. Yeah right. He just wanted the money. Esme did everything-cooked, cleaned, did the chores, took care of me-she was the only mother figure I had in my life. When she left, I was devastated," Gianna pouted and sat down. She started crying, and I sat down next to her.

"That's terrible! How old are you? I'm just curious,"

"I'm ten. I just graduated fifth grade and I ride my bike every day to my middle school,"

"So you take care of yourself all the time, then?"

"Yeah,"

"You know, I could take you in. My apartment has room for more people, and the more the merrier! My friend Amun and his wife Kebi live with me. She's about to have twin girls. Besides, you need a father right now. How 'bout it, shorty?"

"Awesome! So, what should we do now?"

"Well, you can pack your stuff. I'll help you,"

It took us two hours to pack, and then I drove us back to my apartment. I found her a room big enough for all her things. She started playing music and when she finished hanging out in her new room, she ran out and hugged me.

"This is great, Dad! Thanks!"

Well, that was quick. She must have really hated her father.

"You know, sometimes, I called Esme 'Mom' by accident. She didn't mind it at all! She was the coolest, just like you! Can we get some ice cream? Please? Please?" Her enthusiasm and jumping up and down made me chuckle.

"Sure, honey. Put your jacket on, it's below forty degrees,"

"That's freezing! But it's warm in the ice cream place!"

She begged me to take her to Baskin Robbins, because Esme always took her there. My heart longed for Esme even more whenever people said nice things about her. I wanted to see her again so badly that it hurt! I drove 46 miles to Baskin Robbins, but I didn't mind it at all. I'd do anything for Esme or anyone who she loved. When I parked, Gianna opened the door and ran inside, her scarf trailing behind her around her neck. I got out and followed her in.

"What do you want, sport?"

"One brownie sundae with Oreo ice cream, whipped cream, and rainbow and chocolate sprinkles!" she said loudly, both to me and the cashier. "Are you getting anything?"

"Sure, I got enough money. One scoop of chocolate and mint ice cream with gummy bears, please," I ordered.

Gianna gasped. "That's what Esme _loves_ to get here! Well, she gets a mixture of yours and mine, so…"

"Great minds think alike," I said, smiling.

"Yup!" She got her ice cream and dug in. "Oh, this is yummy!"

"Can I try a bite?"

"Are you sick or anything?"

"Nope. I'm clean. I'll use another spoon, here," I said, grabbing a pink spoon from the jar. I took a bite and I was in heaven. "This is good,"

"Told ya so," she said, smirking.

"Renee was right, you _are_ a cute little girl,"

Gianna scowled as I got my order. "I'm not little. I mean, we learned about the birds and the bees this past spring. I got my first crush already,"

"Yeah?" I took a bite. "Who?"

"Eric Yorkie," She smiled, blushing and looking at her ice cream. "And Esme's not here to tell me how to flirt and stuff," She frowned again.

"Well, I'm no girl, but I've heard just be yourself. Maybe you can talk to Kebi about it too,"

"Thanks, Dad. I love you for my sister,"

"You're welcome. And what is your favorite color?"

"Pink-neon pink. All neons, actually. See my nails? And my bangles?" She showed me her hands, and her fingernails were decorated with neon pink, blue, green, and purple nail polish. The bangles were the same colors.

"Mine is blue. And how do you like baseball?"

"Sounds fun. Basketball is my favorite sport, too,"

"Then you're in for a surprise this weekend,"

We shared a smile, a real dad-daughter smile.

The next day while she was at school, I painted her bedroom walls pink and bought flowered pink sheets with different neon colors. Then, I installed a play hoop in her room and bought her a basketball she could play with. When she came home, I told her to check out her room. She screamed with joy when she saw it.

"I love it!" she said, hugging me around the waist.

"I thought you would, sweetie," I said, ruffling her hair. "What do you say about going out for pizza for dinner and then come home to watch a movie?"

"Sure! That would be great! You're the best dad in the world!"

We ended up watching a movie she wanted to see, 'It Takes Two', but I didn't mind.

"That was good! I would do the same thing that they did! Isn't that a great way to find your soulmate?"

"Yes, it is," I answered honestly. "Now, do you want to go to the fair tomorrow?"

"Are you kidding? That would be cool! And then we can play basketball!"

She had a great time at the fair with me, going on all the rides, even the upside down ones, and getting hot dogs and cotton candy. And what a great way to end the day with a basketball game! I let her win, though. That night, I tucked her in bed and kissed her forehead.

"Good night, baby,"

Her eyes clouded over. "What's wrong?" I asked her.

"Esme always said that to me. You remind me so much of her, the male version of her," she laughed, wiping away her tears. "Good night, Daddy," she said sweetly after I hugged her and left the room. "I love you!"

"I love you too," I said, before disappearing out the door. And I really did. She was like my own daughter, already. I smiled as I signed the adoption papers.

**Read and review, please! Any more ideas for Carlisle's POV? Like more stuff for him to do with Gianna? The weddings are starting in the next chapter!**


	10. Joys in Life

Renee POV:

Charlotte was pregnant now, and all of us wondered who would be next. We knew we had to get married to our respective boyfriends, because we went to the club every night and couldn't help but get drunk and make love.

But the club reminded us of our dearly departed friend…Esme Anne Platt. We were all sitting in my room, moping and not saying anything, until Siobhan piped up with, "Well, we can't just sit here and mope. It doesn't help anything. Moping about Esme won't bring her back,"

"We can't just forget about her," I said sadly. "I mean, she was my _best friend_,"

"Well, she was mine too, but her father said she was never coming back. So, it's like she's dead. That stupid Charles probably controls every aspect of her life! He'll never let her out. She's trapped, and we don't know exactly where in Ohio she lives," Carmen cried.

Charlotte rubbed her belly. "I know. I miss her so much. She's such an angel,"

"Well, let's not mope about it. Let's just keep telling ourselves that we will see her again in the near future, somehow, some way, and it just might happen. Remember when I said that Liam would ask to marry me?"

"Yeah," we all said. "And he did ask you," Siobhan had this weird thing where she could will things to happen. When she set her mind on something, it actually happened. It was pretty cool, and it could help us a lot.

"So, Charlotte, what are you gonna name your baby?" I asked, getting the subject off Esme so we wouldn't burst into tears any second.

"Hmmm…I don't know the sex yet, but if it's a girl, I'll name her Kate. If it's a boy, Jasper,"

"Jasper?" Carmen wrinkled her nose. "That's sort of old-fashioned,"

"Well, he was my favorite grandfather who fought in World War Two. He loved fighting and being a soldier. He told me all kinds of stories about the war, and it sounds like a good name for a boy, a nice, strong name. Besides, what girl wouldn't swoon at 'Well, darlin', my name's Jasper Whitlock, ma'am,'" she asked in a fake male Southern accent, and all of us laughed.

Siobhan's wedding was the next day. We helped her get ready, still feeling guilty that Esme couldn't be here to watch, but we promised ourselves that if we ever saw her again, we'd act it out with our husbands.

"You look beautiful," I said, spinning her around. Gianna ran in at that moment, and I picked her up, flowers and all.

"You ready for the wedding, baby?" I asked her. She giggled and nodded.

"I have a boyfriend, Aunt Renee! His name is Eric," She smiled shyly.

Gianna always called her sister's friends her aunts. I was perfectly fine with being her aunt Renee.

"Well, congratulations! All right. Get out there," I set her down and sent her to Carlisle. I couldn't believe he actually adopted her. He was an excellent man, and I wished Esme had gotten to spend more time with him. But we were happy that Mr. Platt got arrested.

"Are you ready?" Carmen asked.

"I think so," Siobhan responded, and we gathered up our flowers and inspected our lime green dresses one last time before leaving the room and going outside to stand with Liam's best men. Good thing they were all our men-because the best man always gets the bridesmaid. Gianna and a boy skipped down the aisle together. She was tossing petals and he was the ring-bearer. I linked arms with Charlie, and we walked down the aisle first. Then, it was Charlotte and Peter, and Carmen and Eleazar. We stood around Liam, and watched as Siobhan's father led her down the aisle. She was smiling when she reached her husband-to-be. They hugged each other and held hands as the priest said the vows.

"I do," Liam said, kissing Siobhan. She nodded and said, "I do,"

They kissed a few more times and started to leave as people threw rice at them. But then, Peter tapped his wine glass a few times to get everyone's attention.

"Everyone, I have something to say. First of all, congratulations, Liam and Siobhan!"

Everyone cheered.

"Second of all, Charlotte…" He got down on his knees and kissed her stomach. All of us gasped when he pulled out a black box. Charlotte started crying.

"Would you be my wife? I promise to love you forever and ever,"

"Yes!" she cried as she jumped into his arms. He slipped the ring on her finger and they kissed a few times. They spun around a few times and we clapped for them.

So, two of my friends had gotten hitched, and one was already engaged. I had no reason to be jealous of Esme, though, because she was married to a monster, and I wanted her out of that marriage and married to Carlisle soon. I wondered when Charlie would finally propose to me instead of just fuck me all the time. One night in December, the night before Charlotte's bachelorette party, and the day I found out I was pregnant, he asked me out on a date. The lights were down low, there were candles, and he handed me a mix of roses and lilacs-my favorite flower bouquet. He kissed my lips softly and bent down on one knee. My tears kicked in when he pulled out a black box.

"Renee?" he asked, opening the box to reveal a silver 14 karat ring. "I have loved you ever since I caught you speeding this past summer. I promise to love and cherish you forever. Would you be my wife, please?"

"Oh, yes! Thank you so much!" I said, crying tears of joy. We kissed a few times as he put the ring on my finger.

"Good, I'm glad," he laughed.

"Me too. Because I'm pregnant,"

"What? How long?"

"Two weeks. I was worried you wouldn't ask me to marry you if I was pregnant,"

"Oh no, darling! I can't wait to have a child in our house. Children are wonderful! Have you picked a name yet?"

"You can pick,"

"Well, we definitely gotta name her after my mom, Marie. And what's a foreign word for 'beautiful'?"

"Bella, that's 'beautiful' in Italian. So, how does Isabella Marie Swan sound?"

"Isabella Marie Swan…" he murmured. "That's perfect. But what if it's a boy?"

"Oh, I got it. Emmett, after my favorite grandpa. Boy, was he funny! I miss him. He told the best stories-his most famous one was him almost dying from a bear attack. He survived, though-a hunter also in the area shot the bear dead. Emmett was carried to the hospital and in serious pain for days. Everyone was scared for him, but he was strong, and he survived. You know, he's been in the guinness world records book for 'most powerful human on Earth,' and he won at football and wrestling back in his day. Oh yes, that is a great name to name our son,"

"Wow. You're right. He sounds pretty awesome, and who knows? Emmett might take on some of his great-grandpa's qualities,"

I laughed. "I sure hope he does,"

Charlie kissed my stomach and we finished our meal.

Carmen and Eleazar ended up eloping, and only inviting me, Charlotte, Siobhan, Charlie, Peter, and Liam for the wedding. Carlisle and Gianna came too, and so did Billy, Sarah, their two daughters who everyone adored, and Amun, Kebi, and Kebi's newborn daughters, Bree and Tia.

Looking at the kids made me even more excited for my baby. It was due on September 13th, and we were pretty sure we were having a girl.

Charlie and I married in March. It was a beautiful spring day, and my bridesmaids wore my favorite color, pink. Esme was there in spirit. I couldn't feel her presence, but I just imagined she was there. Tears came to my eyes thinking of my long-lost best friend. Carmen rubbed my back soothingly and Charlotte and Siobhan squeezed my arms. I took a deep breath and willed myself to calm down. My friends could make anything better for me.

I didn't know what was being said until Charlie took my hands in his and kissed my fingers gently. We exchanged the rings and said, "I do,". Then, we sealed our promise with a kiss.

"I now pronounce you Mrs. Renee Swan!" the priest announced.

The ceremony was wonderful, and our honeymoon in Mexico was even better. We'd done the act before, but doing it alone with no one we knew in the place where we were was a little different.

The rest of the year went by fast, with Carmen getting pregnant in January, and expecting in July. She was right in the middle of us, because Charlotte was expecting in May. The summer was here before we knew it. I was five months pregnant, and it was time for Charlie and I to see the sex of my baby. The nurse rubbed the gel over my belly and I squirmed because it was freezing! Charlie held my hand as she turned on the screen. My baby was moving around in there, and I smiled.

"Congratulations, you're having a girl!"

I looked up at Charlie. "Isabella it is, then, and we can call her Bella, too!"

"I'm so glad, Renee. Our little miracle," he said, squeezing my hand and looking down at me with love in his eyes.

"Lady having a baby!" someone shouted from another hallway. Was it Charlotte? She'd texted me to say her baby was being born, and it was also a girl. I quickly wiped the stuff off my huge belly and we both ran to the maternity ward. Peter wheeled Charlotte to her bed and she was screaming and panting as he helped her up on it. Dr. Cullen came in as Charlotte opened her legs, ready for her daughter to come out.

"Kaaaaaaaaaaate, get outta my bellyyyyyyyyy," she complained, and we laughed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" she started screaming as the contractions came closer and closer together. "I WANT HER OUT!"

Peter stayed by her side and held her hand as their daughter came out of Charlotte. A loud cry went through the room, Dr. Cullen cleaned Kate off, and then handed her to Charlotte. A mother holding her newborn baby was one of the greatest joys in life. I couldn't wait to be a new mother just like Charlotte in September. We all took turns holding baby Kate, wishing Esme could be there with us, holding her too.

**Read and review, please! Next chapter is Esme having her baby up to her birthday…then back to Carlisle or Renee…who do you want? Or it could be both. Any guesses to who Esme is having: Emmett, Edward or Alice?**


	11. Not So Happy Birthday

Esme POV:

I had no idea why or how, but I was still alive, even after nine months of pure _torture_. Charles wouldn't even let me out of the house to check the gender or well-being of my baby. He was a real monster-Satan. By now, I hated him so much that I wouldn't care if he died. Nine months ago, I never would've wished death on anyone. Then again, nine months ago, I wasn't yet married to that devil.

It was the morning of June 20th, stifling hot, but still, I was in pants and a long-sleeved shirt, a turtleneck in fact, because before I got dressed today, I lifted up my chin to reveal a nasty mess of bruises around my neck from where he'd lifted me up so my feet were dangling a foot off the floor, so his eyes could meet mine when he yelled at me. My bloodied fingers reached up to touch my black eye, wincing when they touched the purple bruise just underneath my eye. It even hurt to blink. I carefully put my pants on, just missing the scrape and bruise on my hip which ran down the side of my leg, stopping at my knee. I found bite marks around my nipples and my wrists were bleeding again. Sometimes it was from him gripping them too hard and raising them above my head when he raped me, and sometimes, I was so depressed that I sliced my wrists.

I ran my sore fingers through my hair and let myself cry in front of my bedroom mirror. Why didn't my father understand that just a few weeks' grounding was enough punishment for me?

I'd written to my father, explaining what Charles did to me, but he just wrote back to suck it up, be a good wife and do what he says. It was so infuriating! That was when I knew he was out of my life for good. I had to make it out alive on my own, and I wasn't sure how I could possibly do that. The only good thing that was keeping me in this marriage was my baby. I stood there, stroking my fingers across my stomach. I was gazing at my stomach with wonder, when I felt his presence behind me. I looked up and jumped literally a foot in the air when I saw Charles standing behind me in the mirror. My heart was beating a thousand miles a minute and I realized I was naked, staring at my injuries he'd inflicted on me. And that pleased him.

"Let's see that pussy," he said sharply but seductively. I shuddered as he bent down and put two fingers into my vagina. I fell from the force of his hand inside me. My back hit the side of my bed, creating yet another bruise. It was a miracle that he didn't kill my baby yet. I knew my baby wasn't dead, because it fluttered inside me. I got up shakily, and Charles smiled cruelly. He circled around me and then stopped in front of me. He patted my stomach and said in a biting tone, "Getting a little plump, are we?"

"Well, I'm nine months pregnant, so-oh!" A pool of water appeared around my legs.

"Clean up that damn mess!" Charles yelled in my ear, and I gasped in pain. I collapsed, spreading my legs out in front of me, for once glad I was naked. I wanted this over and quick. I was panting and crying, pushing my baby out of me. When it was finally out, Charles took it and put it into the sink. I gasped in horror as he washed my baby in the sink. Then, he simply walked away with it.

"Wait-what gender is it?" I asked.

"It's a boy. That's good, he can be the next young man who owns the Evenson family business,"

"Let me hold him!" I sobbed. "I want my baby, and his name is Edward!"

"NO!" he snapped. "Make me breakfast! I'm spending time with my son!"

I pulled a casual dress on over my head and then he found me in the hallway, with one foot on the first stair. As I was about to step down, I felt his foot kick my butt and I was flying, with my hands out in front of me, ready to hit the floor, rather than my face hitting the floor. With a loud scream, I landed on the hard linoleum floor. I started crying all over again. I inspected my arms and legs, expecting there to be a bruise, but there was so much worse. I was bleeding so much that a pool of blood was around my body. Charles laughed, raising my son over his head.

I gathered myself up, stiff as a board, and walked to the kitchen to make breakfast. I served him, making sure none of it was burnt, and then I fed my son. When Charles went to the bar, I finally got to spend time with Edward. He was so cute. He had bronze hair starting to grow out of his head and gorgeous green eyes. He'd be a heartbreaker, that was for sure. He had the blonde man's nose and general angel-faceness. I sat him in my lap and sat in a chair. I got the picture of Carlisle and I dancing, and the other one of my friends and I at a fair, out of my pockets.

"This man was supposed to be your daddy," I whispered to him, smiling. Then, I kissed the picture. "And these girls were your aunties. This is Renee-your godmother. Hopefully, you'll meet all of them if we ever get out of here, baby," Then, I showered him with kisses. "Edward Anthony Platt, I love you, and we will get out of here somehow, some way, sweetheart. I can promise you that,"

He made a satisfied sound before nestling his little head into my chest. I massaged the back of his head and kissed his forehead gently. Before nine, I put him in the makeshift bassinet out of my clothes. He was fast asleep before I even said anything like good night.

When Charles got back, Edward started crying. I could tell he hated his 'daddy' and he loved his mommy.

"Where's my son, you bitch?" he asked as he came barging through the door as I was putting dinner on the table.

"He's upstairs, sleeping, but when you came in, you woke him up,"

Charles said nothing but just kicked my stomach, making me clutch it and bend over and groan in pain.

"I've always wanted to do that, but I thought you might be having a boy. Can't lose another little Evenson boy," he chuckled while tears flowed out of my eyes and over my bruised cheeks. "Straighten up, whore! Give me some beer! Let's go!" he demanded as he slapped my butt severely hard, which made me just fall to the floor, on my hands and knees. I had to crawl to the kitchen counter and lift myself up. I was struggling to reach way up there to get the beer. My fingertips reached the bottle, and I was pulling it out. All was going well, until it got too heavy for my hands and it smashed onto the counter, spilling beer and glass everywhere. I froze for a second, but then I gasped when I felt his hands around my waist. He squeezed hard, and then threw me down on the ground. I backed away from him as he stomped towards me. When I was against the wall, I stood up and tried to kick him in the nuts, but he grabbed my ankle and threw me against the wall. I tried not to scream, because that only made him more excited.

"I SAID GET ME GODDAMN BEER, NOT DROP IT!"

"I'm sorry," I managed to gasp out. I started crying quietly. "I-I'll do better next time,"

"I DON'T WANT ANY APOLOGIES! GET UP, YOU FILTHY SLUT! AND GET ME ANOTHER BEER! HURRY THE FUCK UP!"

He grabbed me by my wrist and then by my ear, and pushed me back to the cabinet to get beer. I stretched as high as I could on my tiptoes and held on to it as tight as I could. I almost dropped it again, but this time, I caught it in my arms and stumbled a little.

"Here," I said in a quaky voice as I handed it to him.

"Grow taller," he grumbled before starting to drink.

"I-I'll try-I mean, I will! I will," I sobbed as he seized me by my neck again and slammed me against the countertop edge. He smacked me across the face.

"DAMN RIGHT YOU WILL, YOU NASTY BITCH!"

"Please, I'm sorry…I will grow taller…it's just that I may have stopped growing because of the female reproductive system, and women normally stop growing at age seventeen or eighteen!" I said between sobs.

"Don't give me science shit. Fuck you," He drew back his fist and gave me a split lip. Then, he finished his beer and went up to bother my little boy.

My birthday wasn't much better. I wondered what the girls were doing, and if they'd ever met up with that blonde guy and told him my name. I hoped they were all doing well, and he'd found out my name. I remember when the girls always made me a cake on my birthday and then ran to my house and sang me 'Happy Birthday'. Those were good times.

This time, though, at first, I thought he'd treat me better when he knew it was my birthday today. So, I rolled over and smiled up at him, trying to be a good wife.

"What're you smilin' for?"

"Oh, it's my eighteenth birthday today. I'm finally a legal adult,"

He totally ruined my mood when he said his next sentence. "Yeah, the worst day in the world. Bet your parents still regret it to this day. shouldn't have fucked so hard in January, huh? You were just a mistake, anyway. All you got is a body for me to fuck," he said, shrugging and getting out of bed. His rude remarks brought tears to my eyes. I was used to his heartless comments, but this one stung me bad. My tears trickled down my face and I wiped them away.

I made myself some cake while he was out while holding my baby and bouncing him in my arms. He squealed and pointed to the cake. That sound probably meant, "I want some cake!" I giggled as I got it out of the oven. I put candles in the cake, blew them out, and I ate one slice. It was so delicious. Then, Charles came back from the bar.

"What the fuck is that?" he thundered as soon as he saw me with the platter of cake in my hands.

"Uh…I made cake, for you," I said politely. He saw right through my lie.

"No you didn't, you worthless piece of shit! Listen to me! I'm big, you're little. I'm strong, you're weak, I'm right, and you're wrong, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

I thought he would slap me after that speech, but instead, he threw it in my face and I was left to clean up the mess. Again.

This was the first time I'd cried sad and angry tears on my birthday.

**Read and review, please! Next chapter is a combination of Carlisle's POV and Renee's POV! You won't hear from Esme until eight years later, when she has her next baby!**


	12. Shocking Realization & Milestones

Renee POV:

On July 13th, I started making a chocolate cake. I didn't know what came over me, but I made a cake, not even answering Charlie about why I was making one. I mixed the batter, put it into the oven, and when it was out, I decorated it. When I began writing 'Happy 18th Birthday, Esme!', I stopped myself.

It was Esme's eighteenth birthday today.

I put my head in my hands while some tears came out of my eyes. God, I missed her so much. Charlie rocked me back and forth in his arms, trying to make me feel better. Just then, the doorbell rang. I ran to get it.

"Hey, guys!" I sang, letting in my friends. I wiped my tears away. Charlotte was holding Kate, who was just learning to make little sounds to indicate what she wanted. She was so cute, and she had blonde hair like her father and shiny blue eyes like her mother.

"This is my new friend, Mary Smith, her husband, Randall, and their son, Garrett," Charlotte introduced me to the girl next to her. "We met at a 'Mommy and Me' class, and Kate is addicted to Garrett. They're best friends already!"

Kate and Garrett squirmed in their mothers' arms, and then they were put down. Garrett crawled after Kate as she squealed in excitement. I laughed at their antics and all of us went into the living room to chat. Sarah and Billy and Amun and Kebi joined us a little later, and their two sets of twins played with Kate and Garrett. We shared the cake and cried a little over missing Esme. She would have loved this cake.

The doorbell rang again. It was Siobhan and Liam, followed by Carmen and Eleazar. Carmen's belly resembled a basketball, and I just remembered that she found out the sex of her baby today.

"Boy or girl?" I asked her, smiling.

"Carlisle said it was a girl. So we'll name her…" Carmen looked up at Eleazar, and they were holding hands. He stroked her wedding ring finger and she smiled with joy. "Angela. It's Spanish for 'angel'. Our little angel," She patted her stomach. "Her due date is July 30th,"

"Awww," we cooed.

Carmen went into labor when she was sleeping over at my house. "THE BABY'S COMING!" she hollered over and over again. I woke up with a start and then woke up my husband. He helped me into the car and then Eleazar quickly drove to our house and picked up Carmen-literally- and carried her into the car and then into the hospital. Luckily, Dr. Cullen was there to deliver her baby. She was in great pain, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could handle it.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I WANNA DIE!"

"Contractions are two minutes apart," Carlisle was saying. I gave Carmen some ice chips as Charlotte, Peter, Liam, Siobhan, and Kate rushed in. Everyone encouraged Carmen to go on, and after about an hour, baby Angela was born. She had little dark brown tufts of hair peeking from her head. She looked a little cross-eyed, though, and Carlisle said it was probably nothing wrong, just that she'd need glasses when she got a little older.

"My beautiful baby girl," Carmen sobbed, kissing Angela on the cheek. Eleazar kept holding Carmen's hand and kissed his daughter on top of her head. The hospital was once again filled with love, and Carlisle had again brought a baby into this world. My turn was up next. One day in September, on the 13th, I was taking a walk with Charlie through the park, Carmen and Eleazar walked Angela in her stroller, Charlotte and Peter walked Kate in hers, and the twins were riding in strollers with their parents. Garrett joined them that day too. All the babies were getting along really well. We invited Carlisle to join our group, but he just insisted on hanging out with Gianna and pushing her on the swings in another part of the park. He seemed very depressed, and I knew exactly why. I felt so guilty that we knew Esme more than he did. I knew he loved her with all his heart, even after only seeing her for one night.

Then, my water broke, and I thought of nothing except for the fact that I was in extreme pain. I fainted in Charlie's arms, and the next thing I knew, I was being rushed to the hospital, to the maternity ward.

My Bella was coming! It hurt me so much, but she was coming, finally! I loved her already. I'd developed a connection with her as soon as I was pregnant, and I knew Charlie did too. She was our beautiful daughter, inside and out.

Carlisle, our faithful doctor, helped me get Bella out of me. I was screaming, "Get her out! Get her out!" as loud as I could, and I made some choice words, so many that I was glad the kids decided to stay with Amun and Kebi that day. But once I had little Bella in my arms, I no longer cared. The pain was slipping away and I felt Charlie rub circles on the back of my hand with his thumb and then kiss my lips. Then, he kissed Bella on the top of her head, as did I. She had a little bit of brown hair and pretty chocolate brown doe eyes. She looked around the room innocently, like 'What's going on here?'

"Hi, Bella. Look at all these wonderful people around you. This is your family,"

She continued crying and was very red-faced. Finally, she calmed down when everyone got to hold her. She fit in well with the other babies. They became her friends quickly, especially Angela. I could tell Bella and Angela would be best friends.

All these milestones in our lives made us not so sad anymore. We missed Esme so much, more than anyone could believe, but after a year of her not coming back, we feared she was just stuck there with no hope of getting out.

I tried to breathe in and out as I thought the same phrase over and over.

She'd been gone for an entire year now. She was never coming back.

_Never_.

Then I just broke down sobbing in the middle of the kitchen floor, eye to eye with my baby.

**Read and review, please!**


	13. Reluctantly Moving On

Carlisle POV:

Gianna eased my jealousy, because she was like Esme and my child at the same time. But the number of weddings I went to, I wished they were my own weddings. Babies were born, Esme's friends' babies. She'd never see them. My jealousy quickly turned to sadness over time. Three years passed, and Sarah gave birth to Jacob on August 11th. He was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. Two more years passed, and Carmen had another baby, Vanessa-Nessie for short-who had William's syndrome, on September 10th. The fact that their babies were disabled never stopped Sarah and Carmen from loving them. Those women reminded me of my Esme, whom I had lost five years ago.

I wondered if she was still alive. I wonder if that asshole killed her or her baby. Realization that she was never coming back after her being gone for five years now, struck me, and for the first time in many years, I started crying. I just woke up with that thought in my head and tears streamed down my face. Oh my God. She was never returning.

"Dad?" my fifteen year old adopted daughter asked, coming into my room. "Are you okay?"

"Esme," was all I said, before she fell into my arms, also sobbing.

"She'll come back! She has to!"

"It's been five years, Gianna. She's still not here with us,"

"I still don't believe she's really dead,"

"Then why hasn't she come back?" I blubbered, embarrassed to be crying in front of a teenage girl.

"Because he's got her trapped, maybe she's thinking of a really good plan to escape. It takes years for someone to escape from an abusive household, years!"

Esme's friends were getting jobs now. Renee was a kindergarten teacher, Carmen was a dance teacher and a translator for English language learners, Charlotte was a singing teacher, and Siobhan worked as an Irish dance teacher. They all worked at the same elementary school, where Kate, Garrett Bella, Angela, Rachel, Rebecca, Bree, and Tia went. Charlie was of course a police officer, Peter taught horseback riding lessons, Eleazar was a football coach at Forks High, and Liam was a lawyer. Gianna wanted to be a social worker and help out victims of domestic violence and rape. I enjoyed being a doctor, watching babies get born and people get better. The only thing I didn't enjoy was reporting deaths and making families who had lost their loved ones yell at me, even though there was nothing I could do.

I drove Gianna to school, excited to get her a new car for her birthday that was coming up on June 30th of next year. By then, Renee and Charlotte's second babies would be born. Renee was three months along, and she was starting to show. Charlotte conceived two months ago, and she couldn't wait for her baby. Neither could Renee.

When I got to the hospital, I started taking care of my leukemia patient. The family was about to burst into tears as I counted how many minutes the patient had left. I felt really bad for the sick girl, she looked so frail and all her hair had fallen out already. The chemo treatment failed, and she was about to die. She was only twelve. So young…it made me want to cry.

"You can't let her die!" her mom screamed. She fell into her husband's arms, sobbing.

"I'm so sorry, there is nothing I can do,"

I heard the familiar beeping sound of the heart rate going dead. There was a flat line on the monitor, and the woman collapsed.

"Time of death: 9am," I reported to my nurse. I wrote it in my clipboard and tried to console the family. But there was nothing I could do to comfort them. I repeated that I was sorry for their loss, but they all blamed me for it.

More tears were shed when I got back to my apartment. Esme's friends once again realized Esme was no longer with us. I gave them all a shoulder to cry on, and began to dissolve into tears myself.

On a happier note, Renee's baby boy was born healthy on March 20th. He was the biggest baby we'd ever seen, weighing about eight pounds, much bigger than his sister. Renee had the hardest time getting him out of her small body. She was screaming, panting, and using words that made me have to cover up Bella's ears. Renee smiled when her baby was out, and named him Emmett Dale Swan. She kissed his forehead and Charlie did too. Bella reached her hands out and asked, "Mommy, can I hold my brother?"

"Yes, sweetie. This is your new baby brother, Emmett," Renee handed him carefully to Bella and told her to sit down with him in her lap. I enjoyed these kinds of jobs-watching a miracle and a family experience joy. Emmett looked a lot like Charlie-with the dark brown curly hair, and he looked like Renee and Bella because he had chocolate brown eyes as well.

A month later, April 27th, Charlotte gave birth to another beautiful boy, and Kate had a little brother. Charlotte and Peter named the little guy Jasper, and it was sweet to watch them holding that tiny bundle of happiness. Jasper had some curly blonde hair like his sister and his father, but he had blue eyes that matched his mother's.

Siobhan, however, was still disappointed that she hadn't given birth yet. She and Liam really wanted children of their own, and if they ever had any, they wanted the girl's name to be Maggie and the boy's name to be Nahuel.

Almost a year later, I decided to start a brand new life, because I knew she was never coming back. And it happened unintentionally, that a girl landed in my arms at the hospital one day.

I was just minding my own business when I heard a loud, terrified scream, someone yelling for help. I ran in the direction of the noise, opened the door, and found a young blonde nurse backing against the wall from a child in a straitjacket.

"She's trying to attack me!" the woman screamed.

"IMMA KILL YOU!" the crazy lady shouted.

"Hold on, I'll get her sedated," I grabbed a needle and stuck it into the mental patient's arm. When I looked closely, I saw a small woman, probably a dwarf, who just looked like a child. She was a violent girl. No wonder she was in a straitjacket.

"What is your name, miss?" I asked, helping the woman out of the room.

She was still shaking violently. "Lily,"

"I'm Carlisle, well, Dr. Cullen,"

"Pleased to meet you," she said, batting her eyes, obviously flirting with me. We shook hands.

I felt like I was betraying Esme by going out on many dates with Lily, but I was lonely without Gianna, who had gone off to college and was now living on her own with Eric. They were planning on marrying soon.

We went to a club, and two weeks later, Lily was pregnant. But her father didn't send her away to marry a demon, as Esme's father did.

He didn't even care that we were together.

Before I knew it, we married, and Esme's friends never showed up at the wedding. They too, thought I was cheating on Esme. I felt like I was, but Lily begged me to marry her. She asked me for a ring, and begrudgingly, I bought one for her. We might as well marry, since she was with child. I felt nothing when we committed the act, but she sure did. I was left to clean the mess off my genitals with her giggling from the kitchen.

She found out she was having a girl, and we started picking out names. Grandma Vera told me stories of her best friend, Rosalie, who had died after getting her innocence taken away just after becoming a legal adult, and I thought that was a beautiful name for a girl, and I hoped my daughter, Rosalie, would live way past the age of eighteen.

"Fine," Lily said, shrugging. "But can her middle name be Lillian? That's my real name,"

"Rosalie Lillian Cullen," I thought aloud. "Sounds wonderful,"

"Rosalie Lillian it is," she said, smiling. Then, she jumped into my arms and gave me a big kiss. I didn't kiss her as much as she kissed me. I just wasn't into it. I just needed a friend, not a girlfriend. It felt like she was replacing Esme. She knew nothing about my past love, then again, she probably wouldn't care anyway. The whole thing had happened eight years ago.

On January 21st, our little daughter was born. Lily had some struggles getting Rosalie out, but she did it anyway through my patient coaching. I held my little girl against my chest after Lily handed her to me.

"Hello, there, Rosie," I murmured into her barely-there blonde hair. "Welcome to the world,"


	14. Tough as Nails

Esme POV:

It had been a long, hard eight years full of terror, beatings, and miscarriages, until I got my miracle baby, on April 9th, three months before my 26th birthday. Charles was at the bar and not coming home until noon, thankfully, and I had my baby right there on my bed. She was a tiny little thing, with some brown fuzz on her head. I thought of a name for her, and decided on Mary Alice Platt. I didn't want to name her Mary Alice Evenson, because that meant she belonged to _him_. She only would belong to me, just like Edward. I named her Mary Alice for my mother and grandmother-but I immediately decided I liked Alice better, because I barely knew my mother, Mary, and she didn't give me any help when she was up in heaven. Alice was my favorite grandmother. She was so small and cute, just like a pixie, and when she was young, she was put into a mental asylum for having visions! I thought of it as unfair, because it was a special power she had. She wasn't exactly psychic, as she claimed to be, but she had this thing where she could predict the future, and it would almost always come out right. Besides that, when I cooed, "Hello, little Mary Platt," my baby girl started wailing louder than she had before. Her shrieks quieted down when I called her Alice or Ali. So, Alice it was. I'd forget about Mary completely. I carefully cleaned her off and put some blankets around her. Then, I sat down on the couch, rocking Alice gently in my arms, singing to her softly. She calmed down when she heard my voice. She started to coo and reach for my hand, and when my fingers played with hers, I felt an instant connection with my lovely daughter. She pulled at my heartstrings, and I held her tighter, not enough to suffocate her, but just close to my heart. I felt her heart to make sure it was beating regularly, and I thanked God that it was. I'd given up on my mother. She was useless.

"Hi, sweetheart," I cooed. "You're so beautiful, honey. I love you, my darling Alice,"

And the best thing was she didn't look one bit like Charles. She had my eyes, my nose, my lips, my face, and my hair. Her small frame was like mine, too. But since she was smaller than any baby I'd ever seen, I figured that she really would be a cute pixie, just like my grandmother.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the door open. It was Charles, and he'd picked up Edward from school. He allowed his third grade boy to go to school, but I couldn't even finish college. At least my son was getting an education. I was slowly tolerating life with Charles, because I had Edward, and now, Alice. I couldn't wait for him to see his new baby sister. Strangely, when Charles came up the stairs, little Alice stiffened in my lap. I soothed her and kissed her little head. She was so adorable, just like a pixie. Alice was the perfect name for her. I looked up abruptly when Charles came through the door, grinning. His face fell when he saw the small bundle in my arms.

He looked down at her and scoffed. "Congratulations! We got a midget!" Then, he ordered me to make lunch. "Give the kid to Eddie-boy here,"

Edward had told me time and time again he hated that name, and Charles still called him that. I growled internally when Charles called my baby a midget. It was so disrespectful!

"You have a little sister," I told Edward, setting her in my son's arms. He smiled down at her.

"What's her name?"

"Alice,"

"You're good at picking out names, Mommy,"

"Thanks," I said, squeezing his arm and kissing his forehead.

Edward followed me as I made lunch. "I got an A on my spelling test!" he proudly announced.

"Oh, that's wonderful, honey!" I exclaimed, hugging him around his shoulders.

"Yeah…what did you do? Cheat off the teacher's answer sheet? Kids can't spell for shit," Charles muttered from the table behind us. My heart sank, and I wanted to smash Charles' stupid face in.

Edward looked down, dejected. My heart broke even more when I saw my little boy disappointed. I ruffled his hair. "Don't you worry about him, baby. Mommy's proud of you,"

"Edward, put down the kid and come wrestle with me," Charles exclaimed, getting up. I held him close to my side, but that didn't stop Charles from taking Alice right out of Edward's hands and setting her on the countertop. Alice started crying, as if she'd realized she was in an unsafe place. My heart beat wildly as I watched Alice start to roll off the countertop, and I caught her just in time. I was almost crying with relief. Alice clutched my shirt with her tiny fingers and started wailing and pointing at Charles wrestling Edward on the ground. He flipped him, just like they do in Judo, and I gasped. Edward landed right on his back, groaning in pain.

"Ow! That hurt, Dad!" he cried.

"Are you _crazy_? Here, stand with me, baby," I pulled Edward to his feet and glared at Charles. He started to fight with Edward again.

"Come on, you little wimp! Fight me! Let's go! Be a real man!"

I sat Alice on the floor and made a box around her with a little gate that Charles bought for Edward when he was an infant and the house had to be baby-proofed so he wouldn't lose his heir. Then, being the mother bear that I was, I jumped on Charles' back and tried to choke him to stop him from wrestling Edward, but he just threw me off. I landed hard on the floor with an angry shout, making Alice cry even more.

"YOU SHUT THAT FILTHY BITCH UP!" Charles screamed, stomping toward Alice. I backed away from him picked up Alice. I could feel her shaking and her heart was beating rapidly. She sensed danger, she was such a smart baby. I protected her and tried to get away from Charles.

"OR I'LL SILENCE HER PERMANENTLY! WHO NEEDS ANOTHER CUNT AROUND THIS HOUSE? UNLESS YOU WANNA SELL HER WHEN SHE GETS OLDER? NO ONE WILL WANT HER ANYWAY! SHE'S A FUCKIN' DWARF!" Charles threatened. I gasped when he swore in front of my kids. That kind of language was not appropriate for them to be hearing.

"Dad, stop! She's my sister, and Mommy and I love her! And stop yelling at my mommy! She's the nicest and best mom ever!" Edward said bravely. My eyes widened as he went for Edward.

"YOU STOP IT, CHARLES! YOU WILL NOT TOUCH MY CHILDREN!" I shouted. The emotions inside me came flooding back, and I covered Alice's little ears to block the noise. She continued to scream bloody murder.

Charles froze, because he heard me tell him what to do, something I had not done in eight years. I didn't care what he did to me, because I'd take a bullet for my babies. He slowly turned around and chuckled. Edward looked at me in alarm and ran by my side.

"Honey, take Alice and go upstairs," I warned him in a low voice. He did as I asked and half ran up the stairs.

I hissed at Charles before he punched me in the stomach and kicked my chest, hard. I crumbled to the floor in tears, but I was fine as long as my kids were safe from this terrible man.

"You stupid bitch!" he roared, grabbing my arm and flinging me across the room. "What did I tell you?" I tried to scramble out of the way, but he pulled me by my hair and dragged me to the kitchen. "Just finish making lunch and forget those bastard maggots,"

Later, he pushed me down the stairs, and now, I knew that my son knew that Charles beat me all the time. He wanted us to get out of this house, but we couldn't. We were barricaded in. There was no way out.

Alice turned out to be a cute little girl. At age three, when Edward was in middle school and Charles left for work in the mornings, it was just me and her. Now, she was talking princesses and palaces. I'd told Edward who his daddy was supposed to be again, when he got older, and I also showed him the picture of my friends and I. He said they looked as cool and awesome as me. My little princess agreed when I showed her at age three. She said the blonde man and I should live in a palace together with her and Edward.

"Mommy, can I have a palace now for my dollies?" she asked perkily.

Edward snuck Alice presents for her birthday, and he did that for me, too, but I told him it was okay. I loved the way he treated his sister. He was a true big brother to her.

"Well, sweetheart, they cost a lot of money…"

"What about preschool? You were asking Daddy about that earlier, and then I heard bad noises,"

I closed my eyes sadly at the memory. I was begging Charles to send her to preschool, but he wouldn't allow it. He said girls work and stay home, they don't get an education. He thought they were too stupid, and everyone would make fun of Alice for being a 'midget' anyway.

"I'm sorry, baby. Daddy said no,"

"Awww," Alice pouted adorably, sticking her bottom lip out and making bug eyes at me. **Like Puss in Boots haha.**

"But you know what, my pretty girl? That's okay. You can play with your mama,"

"Okay,"

"Yeah, you like that, baby one?" I asked, combing my fingers through her hair. I lifted her into my lap and made a farting sound into her stomach, and we both laughed.

"Mommy, you have an owie," she said gloomily. "I kiss it to make it all better?"

"Sure, sweet girl," I said as my heart swelled. She softly kissed my cheek which was severely cut, and then she patted my hand.

"Mommy okay now?"

"Yes, princess, Mommy's okay,"

Alice was so cute. She had a little button nose, and when Edward or I touched it, she squealed and dissolved into giggles. When we poked her little tummy, she giggled. In fact, she was addicted to laughter, and laughed at almost anything. She was also turning into quite the fashiontista. She loved pink, and squealed with delight when Edward bought her pink dresses. Edward was doing so well in school, and he had a passion for playing the piano. When Charles was at the bar, he played a lullaby for me and another one for Alice. It was so sweet, and I almost cried when he played them. My children were both talented, and I would always be strong for them.

**Read and review, please! Coming up next…three year old Rosalie and her daddy! More cuteness awaits! The sadness is slowly dying down...**


	15. Daddy's Little Girl

Carlisle POV:

Depression sunk in. I was filled with despair because I was sure Esme was dead. It had been ten years, and if someone has been gone for ten years, they were dead, right?

My three year old daughter slept in my arms but then woke up when Lily stormed into the room.

"Carlisle!" she said, and snapped her fingers in front of my face. My eyes were half-closed and I stroked my daughter's hair. "CARLISLE!" she yelled again. I groaned and rubbed my eyes open.

"What, Lil?"

"God, you've been like this for days, all tired and shit. What's wrong with you?"

"Sorry, I've just been thinking…" I mumbled. "Wait, you swore in front of our daughter,"

"I don't care! That's it, I'm leaving you! Another man has my heart now, and I'm sick of you! Rosalie's with you, I can't stand bratty little kids,"

"You've hardly taken care of her, Lily. Her father is the best person in her life,"

On cue, Rosalie stirred and looked up at me with wonder in her eyes. "Love you, Daddy," She smiled a 100 watt smile and I chuckled and kissed her hair.

"Love you too, angel," I replied.

"I'm out," The door slammed before I could even get up. Oh well, I never loved her anyway.

And Lily was out of the picture, she had betrayed me. But I loved Rosalie dearly, and would do anything for her. If only Esme was here to be her mother.

"Mommy go bye bye?" Rosalie asked, blinking her little eyes and looking around.

"Yes, baby, she went bye bye. I'm sorry, but she did not love your daddy anymore. She loves someone else,"

"Does she like me anymore?" Rose's voice was cracking, and my heart broke for her.

"Let me tell you something, Rosie," I started, sitting her up straighter in my lap. I got out my picture of Esme and I that was taken ten years ago. Rosalie bit her lip as realization sunk in, because I wasn't answering her question, but I sounded serious. "There was a lovely woman that I met when I was twenty, ten years ago, and her name was Esme. I have no idea where she is, but when I find her, I want her to be your mommy. You would have loved her. Yes, I was happy that Lily provided you for me, you're the best thing to come out of mine and Lily's relationship, but I love Esme, not your mother, and she wants a new life now, your mother. I think it's for the best,"

"No more Mommy?" Rosalie sniffled. I ruffled her hair.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. Now, what do you want to do?"

"I hate Mommy!" Rosalie screamed, beating her fists against my chest. She squiggled out of my lap and fell onto the floor. Her temper tantrum lasted for five minutes, until I brought out her dollhouse for her to play with.

"I love you, Daddy. Hold on," She ran upstairs and then came back down with Lily's old lipstick tube. Then, she put some of it on my lips and giggled. "Daddy pretty," After that, she put it on her own lips. "Rosie pretty too,"

I lifted her up in the air. "Yes, you are very pretty. But Daddy wants to be handsome. He doesn't like lipstick,"

"I wanna look a princess," Rosalie cried.

The doorbell rang, and I quickly wiped the lipstick off. I opened the door to reveal Renee, five year old Emmett, and ten year old Bella. Renee started laughing.

"Carlisle, what are you doing with lipstick on?" she asked between giggles.

"You look silly!" Bella added.

"Rosalie wanted to give me a makeover," I said, shrugging. "Help me get the rest of it off?"

"Sure, come on. Bella, play with Rosie, sweetheart. Hold on, Carlisle," Renee turned to Rosalie. "Oh, you're a big girl, aren't you! Oh!" Renee picked up Rosalie and swung her around. "You like to play with your daddy?"

"Yeah,"

"You know what your daddy and I are gonna do with silly little girls like you?"

"No," Rosalie said sweetly. "But don't I look pretty? I wanted Daddy to look pretty so he wouldn't get jealous,"

"Yes, you look very pretty. But Daddy is a boy, and he doesn't like makeup. That's just for girls, baby. But I'm going to tickle you now," Renee got Rosalie down on a chair and began tickling her. I joined in.

"They don't call me a godmother for nothing," Renee said, wiping off the rest of the lipstick from my face.

"Are you a godmother for everyone's babies?"

"Yes, well, in fact, Bella and Emmett have four godmothers,"

"Is Esme-"

"Yes," she said quietly. "Always,"

"I told Rosalie about her this morning. Rosalie threw a fit, saying she hated Lily, because she left me. Rose had every right to hate the woman. If she met Esme, she'd fall in love with her,"

Renee leaned her head against my shoulder. "I miss her so much, Carlisle," She sniffed, looking down at the pictures of Esme and her friends and Esme and I in our laps.

"I do too. Do you think she's still alive?"

"I try to believe she is. Sometimes, I try to believe she's in another state, inching closer to us, but still hiding from Charles," She took a shuddering breath and I gave her a hug. The kids' giggling broke us from our thoughts and we left each other's arms.

"You're pretty," we heard Emmett say shyly to Rosalie. She blushed and took his hand.

"Well, duh! I got lipstick like a princess!"

"I wanna be your prince, and Bella, you can be our maid," Emmett announced. Bella scowled down at her little brother. Renee turned to face them.

"Emmett, apologize to your sister, sweetheart. Bella, don't let him boss you around,"

"Sorry, Bella," he mumbled. "What do you wanna be?"

"Ummmm…maybe the queen?"

"But there is no king!" Rosalie exclaimed, stomping her foot.

"There doesn't have to be a king. I can just be your mommy,"

"But I want to marry her," Emmett complained. "And I heard from my mommy and daddy that married people aren't supposed to be from the same parents,"

"We can pretend that I adopted you, Rosie, and Emmett is my real son," Bella said cheerily.

"Okay," both kids agreed happily.

"Our kids are growing up so fast," I said with a smile as I watched Emmett take Rosalie's hand and kiss it.

"They sure are. Kate and Garrett are turning into a couple in the fifth grade, Bella told me," She stood up. "All right. You take care, I gotta take these kids to school. When's Rosalie going to preschool?" she asked, getting up and patting my hand.

"I'll take her next week,"

"But, Daddy," Rosalie whined. "I wanna go play with Emmett!"

"Rosie, don't worry. You'll see him after school and on weekends, and before you know it, you'll be going to kindergarten where you'll see him every day!"

"YAY!" Rosalie said, delighted, jumping up and down. She spun around in her little pink dress. "Emmett, do you adore my dress?"

"I love your dress, Rosie!" he said, giving her a big hug. His mom took his hand and pulled him away.

"Say bye, kids," She lifted Emmett into her arms and Bella followed them diligently.

"Bye, Rosie!" Emmett shouted from his mother's arms.

"Bye, Emmett! Bye, Bella! Bye, Auntie Renee!" Rosalie shouted at full speed.

"Bye, Carlisle. Oh, by the way, I got an A on my report," Bella told me. I smiled at her and gave her a thumbs-up.

"I'm proud of you, kid,"

"Thanks," Bella gave me a quick hug, as did Emmett. "Bye, Rosie," Bella said, kissing her cheek.

"Dr. Cullen, if I get a shot, can you give me a lollypop?" Emmett asked. I laughed, and Renee sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Emmett, manners!"

"Sorry, Mommy,"

"No, it's fine, Renee. Of course you kids can have lollypops when you come to my office,"

"You're a great dad, Carlisle," Renee said, chuckling. Then, she left with her kids.

Rosalie had taken to calling Esme's friends, who were now my friends, her aunties. It made me wonder why. Did she know they were Esme's friends? They rarely came over when Lily was around. Had any of the kids told her anything? Did I accidentally tell her in my sleep?

Two and a half years passed, and I decided I needed a nanny for Rosalie when I was at work. A permanent one, because the rest were too flaky. I put my name, address, and phone number on a wanted ad, and posted the ads around town. I prayed for some sort of miracle.

A month before Rosalie turned six, she came home from kindergarten all excited.

**Read and review, please! It means a lot to me!**


	16. Best Mom Ever

Esme POV:

I couldn't believe how long I'd been here without my children or myself being murdered. Thirteen years. Thirteen long, hard years. My kids only made it better to live with Charles. He still beat me, but my kids were always there to stand up for me. I still thought of them as fragile, though, and I felt the need to protect them all the time. I was just as fragile as they were, but I needed to be strong for them.

I told them 'Happy Birthday' and gave them hugs, and Charles was always mad when I did that, but I had no choice. I would not stop loving my children, no matter what.

Charles was about to leave for the bar, but he had Edward in hand. Was he insane?

"Don't take my thirteen year old son to a bar!" I shouted, yanking Edward towards me. He held on to my hand tightly. I knew he didn't want to go anywhere with Charles, especially to a bar.

"I WILL DO WHATEVER I PLEASE, YOU UGLY TRAMP! NOW MAKE GODDAMN DINNER AND DON'T TALK TO ME AGAIN ABOUT THAT DWARF GOING TO KINDERGARTEN! IT'S NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!" With that, he snatched Edward from my hand and led him outside. I gave Edward a sympathetic look and went to make dinner.

"Mommy, why did Daddy call me a dwarf? It made me cry! I thought you said I was pretty!" Alice said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Oh, sweetie, don't listen to him. He's dumb. Why don't you help me set the table? It looks like it's just you and me tonight, until the boys get back,"

"Girl time!" she said happily. "But I don't want Edward to get hurt,"

"Me neither, my little angel, but there is nothing I can do to stop Charles," I said, hugging her close to my side.

"And I want to go to school!" she whined. "Who cares if I'm a girl or if I'm short?"

"Charles does, and unfortunately, we have to obey his stupid rules. Be proud of being a girl. And short is cute, and when you're older, it's sexy,"

"What's sexy?"

"Well, boys like you…" I trailed off, not wanting to give my five year old a sex talk. She was much too young for that.

"Ew! Gross! Boys have cooties! But Edward doesn't smell. Daddy always smells!" Alice crinkled her little nose.

"Not all boys smell, baby," I chuckled, stirring the spaghetti sauce. "Just Daddy does. And please just call him Charles. He is no daddy to you or Edward,"

"Okay, Mommy. But what does 'fuck' mean? Charles says it all the time. He's mean,"

"You weren't supposed to hear that, I'm sorry, honey. It's a bad word. Only adults can say it,"

"It sounds sorta funny. Fuck," she said, and giggled.

"Alice!" I scolded. "That is not ladylike to swear, and especially not at your age! You're too young to be hearing that kind of language,"

"Sorry, Mommy. I like being a lady, so I won't swear. I promise,"

I stuck my pinkie finger out towards hers. "Pinkie promise,"

We interlocked pinkie fingers and smiled.

I wasn't mad at Alice that she swore, because she learned that from Charles. I hated him with a passion, as usual. He came home, dragging Edward over his shoulder.

"Man, you shoulda seen him…drink after goddamn drink," he slurred, shaking his head.

"YOU SWORE!" Alice shouted, pointing at Charles.

"Fuck off, kid," Charles grumbled, pushing her aside. He dropped Edward on the couch and my son started vomiting. He ran for a toilet so he wouldn't get in trouble for the mess.

"You got him drunk. You pressured him to drink! I don't trust you, Charles. And you're teaching my daughter bad language. If this behavior continues, I will leave this house with them," I threatened, trying to make my voice sound menacing.

He was silent as I said this, and it made my skin crawl. I knew I'd regret telling him what to do, but it needed to be done. He had to be warned. I bit my lip and gulped when he put his hands on my sides and started trailing his fingertips up and down them. My heart beat frantically and I tried to run, but he had a tight grip on my body.

"You're looking real sexy t'night…" His voice sounded garbled, and his eyes were glazed over and glassy. He was drunk, for sure. I could only hear Edward retching in the toilet and Alice's footsteps up the stairs.

Charles placed kisses along my mouth and then down my cheek and my jaw. "Baby," he mumbled. "I love ya, get the kids outta here…just you and me t'night…"

He was backing me up against the wall and taking my shirt off. My skin tingled when he undid the clasp on the back of my bra. I screamed when he thrust and climaxed inside me. He walked away and threw up in the bathroom.

The next day was my 30th birthday, and I woke up on the couch. Edward and Alice bounded downstairs and shook me awake a little.

"Mmmm…" I opened my eyes and rubbed them.

"Happy Birthday, Mommy!" Alice screeched in my ear.

"Happy Birthday, Mom," Edward said, smiling.

"Awwww…come here, babies. Thank you very much," I said, stretching my arms wide. Alice and Edward fell into them easily, and for a few seconds, I held them, and the three of us were perfect, just sitting altogether on the couch. I kissed the tops of their heads and then we all got up when we heard Charles stumble down the steps.

"Make Mommy a cake!" Alice shouted at Charles. He glared at her.

"Shut up, kid. She's nothing special. No one cares about her,"

"Alice and I do," Edward defended. "And so do her friends and that guy back home,"

"What home?" Charles snarled. "This _is_ your home,"

"If you weren't here, it would be home," Alice declared, and stuck out her tongue at him. I had to admire my kids for their bravery.

"Home is where the heart is," Edward added. "And you don't have a heart, so this is obviously not home, you stupid moron!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING, YOU BASTARDS! YOU SHOULD'VE NEVER BEEN BORN! EDWARD, YOU ARE A PUSSY BECAUSE YOU ONLY PLAY THE PIANO AND YOU WERE THE RESULT OF A ONE-NIGHT STAND WITH THAT BLONDE ASSHOLE AND ALICE, YOU WERE BORN A RETARDED MIDGET! DON'T YOU TWO START BEING SMART WITH ME OR YOU WILL BE SEVERELY PUNISHED, ALONG WITH THAT WHORE YOU CALL YOUR MOTHER!" Charles roared at them so loud that Edward hid his sister behind him. He went to attack them, but I snapped out of it and kicked his ass-literally, as my breath trembled. He turned on me and pushed me to the ground. My body was trembling with tears that were starting to come out of my eyes.

"Make breakfast, you dirty slut. You get nothing,"

"Leave my kids alone and I'll leave you alone,"

"Shut up," he said, kicking my face and leaving the room. "It better be ready in ten minutes!"

I held my nose where it was bleeding badly. Edward and Alice ran to me and knelt down. Edward helped me sit, and I rubbed my forehead.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Alice asked with tears in her eyes. I moved her hair away from her face.

"Yes, honey, but can you guys please help me stand and try not to argue with Charles? He'll never see sense, so don't bother. But thank you very much for trying. You sure showed him!"

"We'll do anything for you, Mom," Edward promised.

"As I'll do anything for you, sweethearts," I said as they both pulled me to my feet.

"Mommy, we're going to get out of here soon," Alice said, looking at me with a serious look in her eyes. She held my gaze for a few minutes and then we all ran to the kitchen.

Later, I played dolls with Alice and listened to Edward's beautiful piano playing. But my mind kept going back to what Alice told me. She sounded sure of herself, like she knew exactly what was going to happen.

On December 13th, Charles came back from a wild Christmas party. He did not bring Edward, thank goodness, because he didn't want his friends to see his 'weak son'. I kissed Alice and Edward good night and went into my own bed to go to sleep. I was just about to close my eyes when I heard fabric ripping, a scream, and drunken laughter. It was coming from Alice's bedroom.

"MOMMY!"

"I'm coming, baby," My heart was already racing, and my mind was thinking up worst-case scenarios-a nightmare and Charles laughing at her, Charles hitting her, Charles-

I turned on the light and gasped in horror. I did not expect to see him raping my daughter, but that was all it took. He was taking off her clothes and she was crying for me. He was throwing her clothes at me, and I suddenly felt the need for my little ones and I to escape. I tiptoed down the stairs while Alice stared at me with wide, scared eyes, and I got out a wine bottle, a plate, a long knife, and a gallon of bleach. Little did he know, he was going down.

"Get the fuck off my daughter!" I yelled in a strong voice, running up the stairs. My temper was flaring, and I was slowly losing control of my actions. Charles was eerily silent. I would never be like my mother who had left me or like my father who let his daughter get raped and beat every day of her life. I gritted my teeth in sheer anger. I was no longer the frightened and timid teenage girl that he married thirteen years ago. I was now a strong, independent woman with weapons. I gripped the bottle, the knife and the plate in my hands and set the bleach outside the door.

Charles laughed. "Do not tell me what to do, you miserable, stinking, wretched whore!"

"And don't you touch me either, you fucking bastard!" I shouted as he came towards me. I held the wine bottle above my head and smashed it over his head, and then I bashed his face in with it. He slumped on the bed, slightly unconscious. Then, I broke the plate over his head, and blood dribbled out his eyes, nose, and mouth. I poured the bleach all over him. He blindly grabbed my ankle, I fell, and then, with a scream, I sank the blade into his neck and pressed down hard, hearing bones crack. His hands slipped from my ankle as I beheaded him slowly, to make his torture last. I was enjoying every bit of it. I put the knife in Charles' dead hand to make it look like suicide. Edward and Alice were watching at the doorway in sheer terror. Alice slowly got dressed, but didn't follow Edward to his room when I said, "Pack your things, baby,"

Alice was still in shock and crying as I carried her to her room and packed her stuff. Then, I packed my own things. I gathered up the kids and our things, and we drove to Charles' bank and withdrew a million dollars. Our next stop: Port Columbus International Airport. We got on a plane to Seattle right away, with me in the middle and both kids sleeping on my shoulder. Alice was crying silently and I soothed her, combing my fingers through her hair.

"Did you kill him, Mom?" Edward asked in astonishment, half-asleep.

"Yes. We're all safe now, my darlings," I assured both of them.

I would commit murder for my children. And Charles was gone forever, no more, thanks to my determination.

**Read and review, please, about the kids sticking up for Esme and the murder of Charles! Comment on both, please-kinda like two short chapters in one! Next chapter-everyone's reactions to her being back after so many years-except Carlisle's. haha…it'll be in the chapter after next!**


	17. Lovely Reunion

Esme POV:

Charles had a small, wrinkled heart. I saw it for myself when I sliced him open. Then, I slid off my wedding ring and poked his eye out with it, whispering, "Happy Anniversary,"

Smiling at those thoughts, I called Gianna and told her to pick us up at the Seattle airport. I left her a message, since it was the middle of the night and we were taking the red eye flight. How old was she now, 23? Holy cow! She may have been married already!

"Hey, Gianna. It's me, Esme. Yes, I'm alive, and I have two lovely children, and we escaped from Charles. I'll explain more later, but we'll be ready to be picked up at 9am in Seattle. Bye, girl. Can't wait to see you. It's been way too long,"

I hung up the phone and looked down at my sleeping kids. They looked so peaceful and calm, so much more different than past years with my rotten ex. I felt no guilt or shame in killing him. He deserved every bit of torture I gave him. I drifted off to sleep until the plane came to an abrupt stop. I heard it skidding on the runway as I looked around sleepily, rubbing my eyes. Edward was reading and Alice was drawing a picture. Both of them were perfectly content, and it looked like all trace of their tears were gone.

"Good morning, guys," I sang.

"Morning, Mommy!" Alice greeted me and made a few people stare.

"It's a brand new day, huh, Mom?" Edward asked, grinning. I nodded.

"Thanks for saving me from Charles," Alice whispered. "He hurt me really bad right here," She pointed to her lower half of her body and made a face.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Neither of you will have to see that terrible man again. He's in Hell now, and I don't mean that as a swearword, so Alice, do not tell me I swore," I said as she opened her mouth when I said the word 'hell'.

"Yay!" Alice cheered quietly, clapping her hands.

"I can't believe you beheaded him, Mom," Edward said in wonder.

"I swore that if he touched any of you, I would kill him. And I kept my promise. He said I wasn't strong, but he was dead wrong. You two have a tough mother, and I want you to know that,"

"We do," my children said at the same time.

I turned my phone back on as we left the airplane and got a message from Gianna. It was light and snowing outside, and it was almost time for her to pick us up. Her message was bursting with joy. She was screaming.

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE FINALLY HERE! OH MY GOD, ESME, I'VE MISSED YOU SO, SO, SO, SO, SOOOOOOOO DAMN MUCH! AND I'M GONNA GET MARRIED TO ERIC YORKIE AND WE'RE ADOPTING SOON!"

Now, that kind of yelling, I didn't mind hearing. We got our suitcases from baggage claim and looked around for Gianna. She was hard to find, because she had grown up so much from a kid to a young woman. But she sure recognized me. She ran up to all of us, screeching her fool head off, and her body slammed into mine with a force that nearly knocked me off my feet. I spun her around.

"Gianna, how are you?"

"Never better, now that you're here! And who are these cute kids?"

"This is Edward, my oldest, and this is my little girl, Alice," I said, combing my fingers through their hair. "Guys, this is your Aunt Gianna,"

Edward hugged Gianna awkwardly first, and then Gianna bent down to sweep Alice into a hug.

"Mommy says we can call you Aunt Gigi! She called you that when you were little,"

"Yes, sweetie, she did. And you may call me Aunt Gigi whenever you'd like," Gianna said, lightly tugging one of Alice's braids. "Now, it's cold, so bundle up, we're all staying at my apartment until you find a permanent settlement. Esme, would you like to find a job or enroll your kids in school? Oh, and what happened with Charles? Is he going to come back for you or anything?"

"Sure, I've always wanted to be a second grade teacher, and yesterday, I caught Charles raping Alice, so I beheaded him and hit him over the head with a wine bottle and a plate, and I poured bleach all over him," My explanation ended the four of us in giggles.

"Did you really? Oh, Alice, darling, are you okay?" Gianna asked, hugging Alice close to her side.

"I'm fine, Auntie Gigi,"

"Yes, I would kill for my children. But look what he did to me all the time," I lifted the scarf from my neck and revealed all my scars and bruises. Gianna gasped.

"It's gonna take time for those to go away. He gripped you that hard, and you're still alive?"

"Hey, I'm not a weakling," I protested, laughing and covering my neck back up. "But yeah, he was abusive and it was really hard, until my kids were there to stand up for me. I felt braver with the kids there. Oh, they were so loyal,"

We put the suitcases in the trunk and I sat in the passenger seat next to Gianna. Edward and Alice sat in the back. She drove us to her apartment, which was very nice. It was Friday morning, and I was applying for a job as a teacher. I had already enrolled Edward into Forks High as a freshman and Alice into Forks Elementary as a kindergartener by the time we got home. I got my teaching job easily with a credential that I'd gotten in secret online classes I'd been taking on Edward's laptop. I was excited to see more of my friends, and I wondered who was working here. On Monday, I drove Edward to school and then Alice and I went to the elementary school. I saw Renee on my way to the classroom where I'd be dropping Alice off.

"Okay, Ali…are you gonna be okay here?"

"Yes, Mommy!"

"All right, hold on. I'll be right back," I walked right past Renee and said nonchalantly, "Oh, hey, Renee,"

The sound of my voice made her look up in shock. "Oh, hey, Esme," she said, passing me. I smiled, waiting for her to realize…it didn't take long. "OH MY GOD, ESME!" she shrieked. She ran back to where I was and we jumped up and down in each other's arms, squealing with laughter and tears in our eyes.

"But how did you-when-where-" she stuttered.

"Thursday night, my daughter, Alice, who is in your class, I think, she got raped by Charles, and that was the last straw. His constant belittling my daughter and son and beating me, well, I got sick of it. So, I knocked him out with a wine bottle and a plate, beheaded him, and poured bleach all over him! My son is Edward, by the way. He's thirteen,"

"Wow," was all she could say before holding me in a bone-crushing hug. "I just can't believe you're really here!" she said hoarsely through her tears. "I can't imagine how you survived through that shit…oh, God! I've gone crazy missing you, and so have the girls,"

I noticed a wedding ring on her finger and gasped quietly. "You married him,"

"Yup. I'm Renee Swan now, with a darling girl named Bella, who is thirteen, and a sweet little boy named Emmett, who is seven. Oh, and Carmen is now Carmen Weber, with a girl named Angela, also thirteen, and Nessie, age eight. Charlotte is Charlotte Whitlock, and she has a girl named Kate, who is Bella and Angela's age, and a boy named Jasper, who is Emmett's age. Emmett and Jasper are best buddies. And Siobhan-she was the last one to have a baby. Her little girl, Maggie, is five, but she's gonna be six come March 17th,"

"Thanks for the updates. I can't wait to meet the kids,"

"And you're the godmother, and I'll be the godmother of yours,"

"Awwww, you're so sweet, Renee. My true friend,"

"Oh! Almost forgot. Look at these fliers," She took me outside, still linking arms with me, and showed me a bunch of papers with a man's name, Carlisle Cullen, with his phone number and address, that read, **Nanny Wanted**. "Are you interested?" She winked at me.

"Cullen? Why does that ring a bell…?" I trailed off when I caught Renee staring at me and grinning mischievously, the same one from thirteen years ago when they all dared me to go into that bar all dressed up.

I pulled the wrinkled photo out of my pocket and looked at it for a second.

"Figured it out yet?" Renee asked, smirking at me.

"His name started with C…oh my God! That's him! That's his name! How could I have forgotten?"

"Oh, you were completely out of it,"

We both laughed as we walked to our classrooms. It turned out she had Alice in her class and I had Emmett and Jasper in mine. The kids of my friends were also very pleased to see me. They hugged me around my legs and said they'd heard so much about me. Later, I met up with Charlotte and Siobhan at their jobs and their reactions were the same as Renee's. We cracked up as I told the story of how my kids and I escaped Charles and how he was never coming back into my life. When I picked up Edward, I ran into Carmen, who was teaching a dance class. We hugged each other tight and spun around with happy tears in our eyes.

"You're back!"

"And ready to party!"

"Come on, we'll take you to meet Carlisle," Renee said excitedly as the four of them shoved me in the car. "I'll take care of Edward and Alice at my house,"

The car ride wasn't that long. My friends were hiding me as we walked up to his front porch. I had butterflies in my stomach as I took each step closer to my true love. The girls were shushing me and giggling silently.

Renee rang the doorbell, and the door opened. Standing there was the most handsome man I'd ever seen, with a little blonde girl beside him. She looked about Alice's age. I almost swooned when he started to speak.

"Hey, Renee. What's up?"

"Cullen, we got a surprise for ya," she said smugly as she tugged on my hand so I could emerge from the throng of girls. Before I knew it, I was staring into his deep blue eyes.

The look on his face was priceless.

**Read and review, please! Every single chapter! The next one is Carlisle's POV of seeing Esme again!**


	18. After All These Years

Carlisle POV

Rosalie had Emmett wrapped around her tiny little finger, but it was about something else.

My spirits lifted, and I found hope.

Could she be here?

I heard the doorbell ring, and I opened it without asking who it was. Esme's friends were standing there with big grins on their faces.

"Cullen," Renee started. "Got a surprise for ya," She revealed my dream girl out from behind the group, and my heart stopped. Happy tears pricked my eyes.

She was here. In the flesh.

"Esme," I breathed, stepping down from the porch to give her a hug.

"Carlisle," she gasped when I gave her a fierce hug. We pulled away from each other, still holding hands. She was wearing a long coat, jeans, and a scarf, but I could tell that that bastard abused her, because she had bruises the shape of handprints around her wrists, and who knew what was behind that scarf. She was gazing up at me, blinking back happy tears. I couldn't tell if her rosy cheeks were from the cold or because she was crying. Maybe both. I could see her frigid breath in the air.

"I can't believe it's you," I said, stroking her cheek with my thumb to wipe away the tears.

"I'm here, finally. I killed him," she sobbed. "He raped my daughter, and I had to kill him,"

"You got him before I did. You're amazing, Esme,"

"Thanks," She giggled through her tears. "My, my, Carlisle, you haven't changed one bit,"

I kept holding her hand as we walked down the pathway to my house. "Neither have you, Esme. So, how long has it been? A decade…" I teased her.

"Thirteen years. What have you been up to, huh?" She poked my side.

"Well, firstly, I was missing you terribly. Everyone thought you were dead. Secondly, I got my doctor's degree early-before I was even out of college-and delivered your friends' babies. And I got a little one of my own. The woman left me when Rosalie was three, for another man,"

"I'm sorry, Carlisle," she said, but I could tell she was pretending to be sorry.

"Aw, it's all right, I was waiting for you the whole time,"

"I was so worried you'd forgotten. I mean, I was just a one-night stand," She shrugged and looked down. "I'm a terrible person, I should've never been born," Her shoulders were shaking with sobs.

"Is that what he told you, Esme?" I asked, lifting her chin up, making her look into my eyes. She continued crying and shaking her head.

"He said…on my birthday…my parents… shouldn't have… fucked so hard… in January…" she said between sobs.

"Oh my God," I whispered. "You are beautiful," I hugged her close to my side. "Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise,"

"It was horrible, my kids were the only good thing to come out of the marriage…Edward is our baby, by the way, and Alice was born when Charles raped me so much that I was unconscious. But still, I'm blessed with my children,"

"Tell me the whole story," I said gently.

"There isn't much to say. He just beat me, berated me for telling him what to do, belittled all three of us, and took my son away from me. He took Edward to a bar once, and there was nothing I could do about it. Charles raped me the first night we were married, and all the nights afterward. But he raped my little five year old daughter, Alice, and that was it for me. I couldn't take it anymore, so I just smashed his face in with a wine bottle and a plate and poured bleach all over him. Then, I beheaded him and made it look like a suicide. Don't ask me how, but I did. I kept my frustrations bottled up inside, and let it all out when he did something to one of my children. He tried to kill me lots of times, so he deserved it,"

"I didn't think you were a violent person,"

"I'm not, but when someone threatens my kids, they are going down forever!"

"Hey," a bronze haired boy shouted, running to Esme. "You guys know each other?"

"Yeah, we do. What's your name, sport?" I asked.

"Edward Platt, sir. And you're Carlisle?"

"Yup,"

"Mmmmmhmmmm," Esme said shyly.

"Mommy!" A little dark-brown haired girl ran up to Esme and hugged her around the legs.

"Oh, hi, sweetie," Esme said, picking her up. "This is Alice, by the way. Honey, say hi to Carlisle,"

Alice waved at me. "Mommy called you Dr. Dreamy,"

Esme blushed madly. "Alice, baby…"

"No, it's okay. I like being called dreamy," I said as Esme set Alice down.

Edward beamed. "Mom's right. You are much better looking than that dipsh-"

"Edward!" Esme scolded him with a stern look. "Watch your language in front of your sister,"

"Sorry, Mom," Edward said, looking down.

"Aw, come here, you," Esme chuckled as she gave Edward a big hug.

"Me too?" Alice asked, clinging onto Esme's legs.

"You too, baby,"

"Hey, Carlisle, do I look like a two year old or a midget to you?" Alice asked.

"Course not, shorty," I said, ruffling her hair. "You're a very cute five year old,"

"Yay! Charles was wrong! He was wrong!" she sang to herself, skipping away from us.

"So, Carlisle, what do you think about me playing the piano?"

"I think that's wonderful, Edward. You and your sister are great kids,"

"Thanks!"

"Daddy!" Rosalie shouted, jogging up to me. I swung her up into my arms.

"Hey, little girl!" I bounced her in my arms as if she weighed nothing. I turned her around to face Esme.

"You-you're-Esme!" she said, shocked.

"Hello, there. And you must be Rosalie," Esme said, shaking her little hand.

"I'm very glad to meet you,"

"I couldn't agree with you more," Esme tapped Rosalie's nose and she giggled. "Oh, she has the button nose, too, huh?"

"Suppose so,"

"Alice has the same reaction,"

I let Rosalie down but she still clung to my leg when Edward and Alice came back to us.

"It's all right, honey. They're nice kids, play with them for a while, while I talk to Esme,"

"Hi! I'm Alice! What's your name?"

"Rosalie,"

"Do you like fashion shows?"

"Yes!"

"Come on, Rosie, let's play in your house!" Alice squealed, and they both ran inside our house.

"That's okay if Alice plays there, right?" Esme asked.

"Of course it is. Mi casa es su casa,"

"Whoa! Awesome grand piano!" we heard Edward exclaim when he went into my house, following the girls.

"Baby, it's cold outside," I sang, spinning her around. She giggled.

"It's okay, you're warming me up,"

"I don't want you to freeze out here. But wouldn't you rather sit by my warm fire with me?"

"All right,"

I led her inside the house and we took our shoes off. She took her coat and gloves off, but left her scarf on. Her shirt lifted a bit, and I saw a dark bruise. I shook my head in disgust. How could he do that to her?

"Why don't you take your scarf off? It's warm in my house,"

"Oh no, that's okay. You'd really regret it if I took my scarf off," She walked to my couch in front of the fireplace and sat down.

"Everything about you is stunning, Esme. Never doubt that,"

"Fine," she sighed, taking the scarf off. I gasped. Many handprint marks were around her neck, like he choked her all the time or something. I walked over to her, sat down, and put my arm around her shoulders. She hurriedly put her scarf back on, very embarrassed.

"That's terrible what he did to you,"

Her breath was shaky and cold as she leaned on my shoulder. "Can we…talk about something else?"

"So you're okay with being my nanny when I'm out, because Rosalie's tired of having different ones, and she loves you just from looking at your picture,"

"I would love to be your nanny, Carlisle. I love kids,"

I ran my fingers through her hair. "I know you do. But we'll have to send our children to Renee's house this Friday night," I pulled her to my chest and felt her heart beating fast.

"Why?" she asked in barely a whisper. I ran my hand down her arm and intertwined our fingers.

"Because I'm taking you out for dinner and treating you the way a woman should be treated,"

**Read and review, please! Next chapter...the kids' POV's in school!**


	19. New Set of Friends

Edward POV **(Set in the same time as last chapter, during school)**:

It was my first day of school, and I was surprisingly nervous. I was in my freshman year of high school, a year older than everyone in my grade, and I wasn't sure if I'd be accepted here. I hoped my sister and my mom were doing okay, after the nightmare they had to endure on our last night with that wretched loser who called himself our father. He wasn't even a person, he was just a snake.

I didn't expect to make friends the first day, but I did. A guy named Mike Newton started talking to me in Trig and he invited me to sit with him at lunch.

"So you're new here?"

"Yeah,"

"Where did you come from?"

"Ohio,"

"Come meet my friends," I followed him to a group of people, two girls and one guy. "That's Tyler and Lauren, and that's Jessica," he said, pointing to each person as he said their name. Tyler just gave me a head nod and Lauren and Jessica batted their eyes at me and waved in a flirty manner.

"Guys, this is Edward Platt. He just moved here from Ohio,"

"Sup, dude," Tyler said without looking up.

"Hey, Edward," both girls said, leading me to a seat between them. I didn't really like all this attention from girls, they weren't even that cute! They both kissed my cheek and Mike said giddily, "Oh my God. It's like the first grade all over again. You're like the shiny new toy!" **Twilight movie reference, I know. LOL!**

The cafeteria doors opened and thirteen kids, all in a big group, stalked in all together and sat down at a large table in the back. I couldn't stop looking at the brown-haired pale girl at the end of all the couples. There were six couples either linking arms, holding hands, or kissing, and she must have been the only one available.

"Who are they?" I asked Mike.

"Fantastic Five's posse, apparently, they're all the children of this famous group that used to go to school here, the Fantastic Five. There's Rachel and Paul; Rebecca and John; Bree and Diego; Tia and Benjamin; Angela and Ben; and the only girl who is single-Bella Swan,"

"Wow. She's beautiful," I whispered, glancing at Bella,"

"She's staring at you. But don't bother. Apparently, no one in this school is good enough for her,"

"No one's given her a chance. She seems to be interested in me,"

"Yeah, dude, whatever…they're all just weird…I've heard them talk about how they want to meet this Esme woman,"

"That's my mother. Esme's my mother, and she's back. You wouldn't understand the story. Excuse me for just a second,"

I got up and walked to Bella's table. Lauren and Jessica whined and glared at Bella as I made my way to her table.

"Uh…hi, I'm Edward Platt,"

"Really? She's here?" Bella asked brightly.

"Yeah, I'm her son. She's teaching with your mom at my sister's school,"

"I'm Bella Swan. My mom and yours were best friends when they were young, and they still are," She reached out her hand to shake mine while blushing. "How did you know what we were talking about?"

"Mike,"

Bella groaned and rolled her eyes. "That idiot gossips about us all the time. He's such a sissy boy! And did Jessica try to flirt with you?"

"Yeah, she was acting like a golden retriever!"

"Anyone can see that Mike has eyes for her. I mean, why can't he just ask her out already? Stupid puberty boy…" she muttered, and the whole group, including me cracked up.

"Maybe she's just clueless and needs a hobby,"

"Maybe. So, do you want to sit with us instead of them?"

"Of course," I smiled down at her and patted her shoulder, making her blush again. I turned to Mike's group, where he was now sitting with Jessica and putting his arm around her. I got my lunch and my backpack. "I'm goin' over there. Bella likes me," I grinned and walked away before anyone could complain.

Bella scooted over and pulled out a chair she'd already gotten for me. She patted the seat and I sat down.

"Do you like classical music?" she asked.

"Yes. Do you?"

"I love it. I suppose you play the piano?"

"Obsessed with the damn thing,"

"I bet you're good at it,"

"Been practicing a lot,"

"How's your mom?"

"She's fine," I told her everything, from when I was born to when we got here today. Bella gasped, not wanting to believe the torture that the three of us had to suffer through.

"Oh my God," she said with a hand over her mouth. I rubbed her back to soothe her.

"We're all safe now. Don't worry,"

The rest of Bella's friends engaged in easy conversation with me and I shook hands with all of them. By the end of lunch, we were all laughing like I was part of their group when they were born, just like old friends.

"Aw, you're so protective of your mom and sister. I met a real man, at last," Bella laughed.

"People like me aren't that easy to find. And I'm the same age as you, I was born on June 20th,"

"I'm three months younger. September 13th, I popped out,"

"My dad was weirdly possessive of me, he said my mom was a witch and my sister was an evil midget. Really, my mom's the best in the world and my sister is a cute pixie who is obsessed with fashion," We both chuckled.

The bell rang, and I looked at my schedule. Bella looked over my shoulder. "Biology," we said in unison.

"Come on, partner," I said, linking my arm through hers.

"Right behind you. You know, I'm glad you're doing this for me. I usually trip and fall, and one of them has to catch me. Now that we're linking arms, I can't-whoa!" she shouted as she tripped over the threshold. "Spoke too soon,"

I caught her just in time before she could hit the floor, when her knees started to bend.

"There's a reason why people call me clumsy. Mom had me sign up for Mrs. Weber's dance class. It's a mixed gender ballroom dancing class. She also teaches a hip-hop dance class. Would you like to join? Please say yes, I'm the only one without a partner in there,"

"Of course, I would love to. It sounds fun, and I'm not saying that because I pity you,"

Bella giggled as I snuggled her closer to my side.

"He likes you!" I heard Angela say from behind her.

"She has eyes for you," Ben added, throwing us a wink.

We both hit our friends as we walked to our class, front in center of my new group of friends.

Alice POV:

"Everyone, this is our new student, Alice Platt. Please make her feel welcome," my teacher Mrs. Swan said excitedly. "Sweetie, please sit next to Maggie," She pointed to a small redhead girl, who wasn't so small compared to me. I walked over to Maggie and joined the little circle.

"I'm Alice,"

"Hi! I'm Maggie McCarthy,"

We shook hands.

"Have you met Rosalie Cullen yet?" she asked me.

I shook my head. Then, Mrs. Swan taught us some songs and we had lunch. It was a fun first day, but I couldn't wait to see my mommy! She came to the classroom once school was over, and she and Mrs. Swan hugged each other tightly. Then, Mommy picked me up and spun me around. She kissed my forehead.

"Hey, baby, how was your first day of kindergarten?"

"It was fun! I knew I would love it!"

"I'm glad, sweetheart," she said, smiling.

After school, I met the man that Mommy called dreamy and also my new best friend Rosalie Cullen! It was fun to play with her, and that night, I had happy dreams.

**Read and review, please! Usual reviewers, Cullen Love 678 and Miss Esme, do not forget to review the last two chapters (and this one)! Next chapter: Esme's POV of her and Carlisle's date! Prepare to swoon! =)**


	20. Kids Will Be Kids

**The next three chapters are in Esme's POV! This first one needed to be written before the date! Just a little humor before the romance hits ya in the face...**

Esme POV:

I went with Gianna to buy a Christmas tree, and it wasn't that big, because her apartment was so small. She was really busy with Eric, discussing wedding plans and looking around the orphanages to find someone to adopt. So I mostly babysat for Rosalie and my own children when I got home from teaching. On Thursday, when I picked up Edward from school, he told me he wanted to ask Bella out on a date.

"That's great, honey! When do you guys want to go out?"

"Well, I haven't really asked her yet. We're best friends, and I don't really want to ruin it,"

"I'm sure she'll say yes if you say it's a friendly date, and who knows? She might like you back!"

"She blushes a lot when she's around me, but she just gets embarrassed a lot,"

"She's my best friend's daughter. And Renee told me that her daughter has a crush on you,"

"Really? She likes me?"

"Yes, honey. Go for it!" I encouraged him. "Take her out to the movies and do the stretching trick, put your arm around her shoulder, hold her hand…stuff like that,"

"When should I ask her out?"

"You can go out with her tomorrow while your father and I go out on our date. Carlisle is your real father, you know. You can call him 'Dad' if you want,"

"'Course I'll call him 'Dad'! Did I really come from a one night stand?"

"Yes, you did,"

"That's okay, though. I still love you both,"

"I'm glad, sweetheart. Now, there are a few things that a boy your age needs to know…have you learned about the birds and the bees in school yet?"

"Aw, Mom, no!" he groaned. "I'm not talking about that with you,"

I shook my head and smiled. "Aw, my little boy is all grown up!" I reached over and played with his hair, and he ducked away from me.

"Mom!" he complained. "I'd rather talk about it with Dad. It's too embarrassing with you, but yes, we have learned about it in school,"

I chuckled and shook my head. "Fine, it's awkward for me too,"

Later, I overheard him talking about erections and hard penises with Carlisle, and I knew he now understood how he knew if he liked a girl.

"And what if the girl likes me, what does she do?" Edward asked.

"Her vagina gets wet, to prepare the body for sex. But of course, you can't do that until you're eighteen, young man," Carlisle said, clapping him lightly on the back. "And you know you're really in love with a girl if you have a wet dream about her. You wake up with sticky sheets,"

"Ew! That's gross!"

"Mommy, what are they talking about?" Alice asked, tugging on the bottom of my shirt.

"Just boy stuff, baby," I said, tousling her hair.

"Can we talk about girl stuff?" Rosalie asked, following Alice.

"Depends on what you want to talk about,"

"Whatever Edward's talking about with Carlisle, my girl part getting wet. Why does my girl part get wet if a guy likes me?"

"Alice, you are too young for us to have that discussion," I said sternly.

"When can we talk about it?"

"When you're twelve or thirteen,"

"Fine," she said, folding her arms across her chest and stomping away to play with Rosalie. I followed them upstairs.

"Hi, Esme. We're doing a fashion show," Rosalie informed me. She put on a long pink dress, a gold necklace, and little Mary Jane shoes.

"No, actually, we're acting out their date, Rosalie," Alice said, putting on black pants and a coat and tie from Rosalie's dress up box.

"Okay, let's show Esme what we want them to do,"

"Mommy, sit on the bed," Alice instructed me, pointing to the bed.

"Okay, Miss Bossypants," I said, rolling my eyes and sitting on the bed. "Show me what you got,"

"Hello, Esme, how are you this lovely evening?" Alice asked Rosalie in a guy's voice. I had to stifle a laugh.

"I'm just fine, Carlisle. How are you?" Rosalie asked in a silly high voice.

"Good. You look soooooo pretty!"

"Aw, thanks, handsome!" They pretended to kiss.

"We want you to share a dish of spaghetti like in Lady and the Tramp," Rosalie said, twirling around in her dress.

"Yeah, and Mommy, you have to wear a pretty dress!" Alice added.

"Okay, girls. You guys are such good actresses!" I said, clapping. They jumped up on Rosalie's bed and hugged me around my waist. Without warning, they started tickling me and laughing hysterically. I screamed for help, and Carlisle came up right away.

"Your daughter and mine are attacking me," I said, pretending to cry.

"FALLBACK!" he shouted, picking his daughter up high in the air. "This the cause of all your troubles?"

"Yes, and this little one is too," I said, pulling Alice off of me and holding her wrists together.

"Mommy, no!" Alice squealed between peals of laughter as I tickled her weak spot, her most ticklish area, which was her stomach.

"Daddy, let me down! I wanna jump on my bed with Ali!" Rosalie said, struggling to get out of his arms.

"Are you gonna be nice to Esme?"

"I am being nice!" She jumped out of his arms, and I released Alice. When I left the room with Carlisle, they were jumping up and down on Rosalie's bed and giggling.

"Okay, class!" I announced on Friday morning. "We're gonna combine our class with Mrs. Swan's kindergarten class on Monday to do a sing-along!"

"YAY!" everyone cheered.

Later that night, I got ready for the date. I put on makeup, jewelry, curled my hair, and put on a long purple dress. I didn't know what to do with the ugly marks on my skin, though, so I just left them there. I put a scarf around my neck and then a cardigan, and I was ready to go! Carlisle rang the doorbell and my heart-rate picked up.

"Ready for our second date, beautiful?" he asked as I opened the door.

**Prepare to swoon next chapter! Read and review please!**


	21. My One and Only

Esme POV:

I nodded and took his hand. The kids followed us so we could drive them to Renee's house. She was going to take Edward and Bella to the movies and then take care of Rosalie, Alice, and Emmett.

"Bye, Mommy! Bye, Carlisle!" Alice shouted, waving to us at the same time Rosalie called out, "Bye, Daddy! Bye, Esme!"

"Bye, kids," we both answered.

"Bye, guys!" Renee said, taking the kids in through the doorway.

"Bye, Mom and Dad!" Edward said quickly. We waved to them as we drove away.

"So, Esme," Carlisle started. "Just wondering if you've bought a tree yet?"

"Yes, have you?"

"We're buying ours tomorrow. Do you and the kids want to help Rosalie and I decorate it?"

"We'd love to," I said, smiling. "Wait, where are we going?" I asked as he drove us into a deserted part of town.

"You'll see," he said, grinning mischievously. He soon pulled up to a Mexican restaurant, which I loved, and stopped the car. I started getting out, but he held my arm gently.

"Hold on," He got out and went to my door and opened it. Then, he took my hand, kissed it, and helped me out of the car. "You look lovely, you know that, right?"

"Thanks. And you don't look so bad yourself, handsome," I said, and he wrapped his arm around my waist and gingerly ran his fingers through my hair. I melted into his side. He opened the front door of the restaurant where music was playing softly.

"Table for two, please, in the back," he said, and the waiter led us to a round table in the back that was decorated with candles and flowers. Carlisle handed me a huge bouquet of roses, violets, orchids, tulips, and lilies. "For you,"

I put my nose into the flowers and smiled. "Thank you," I said as I sat down when he pulled out my chair for me. I looked around in wonder at the spot he picked out for us. "Oh my," I said quietly.

"You like it?" he asked, lightly stroking my fingers with his thumb.

"I do," I said, nodding. "This is wonderful,"

"I'm glad you think so,"

"So, how do you like your job?"

He groaned, rubbing his face. "Same old, same old. All I want to do is play with my daughter and be around you and the rest of my friends,"

"You can always work as a doctor for the elementary school I work at,"

"Well, I make more money there, so…"

"Yeah, well, what happened in the office today?"

"I gave some little kids their shots, they screamed bloody murder, and there were more babies born…let's see, what else? Oh, and there were some cancer patients, and I had to give some bad news to people who got themselves dehydrated…some people just don't know how to follow the doctor's orders," He laughed, shaking his head.

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Maybe those people should just eat apples," I said, trying to joke around.

"You're right. But don't you be eating any apples, I want you with me. Never go away again,"

"I won't leave you. I promise. My father and Charles are gone, so there's no chance I'll leave you,"

"I'm so happy to hear that. So, what happened in class today?"

"Well, we're having a sing-along with Renee's kindergarten class. She and I planned it, and we think the kids would get along really well. But Alice is shy around Jasper, I don't know why. I see them on the playground, but Alice only plays with Maggie, and Jasper only plays with Emmett,"

"Maybe it's the cootie problem. What about Rosalie? She likes Emmett a lot,"

"I never see her on the playground. Renee says she eats her lunch in class,"

"I'll have to talk with her about that. She was so excited about kindergarten and playing with all the kids…do you think people leave her out of activities?"

"I don't know, she seems very nice with you, me, Alice, and Edward,"

"She does have sort of an attitude, so maybe. Don't worry, I'll talk to her. Maybe she's just really shy,"

"She's a great girl, Carlisle. She seems to really like my daughter, but they only play together at home. Do you think Maggie doesn't let Alice play with Rosalie?"

"No, there's nothing wrong with Maggie, Siobhan and Renee would have told me. I'll have to get it out of Rose,"

"Yeah, I really hope she's okay," I murmured.

"So do I,"

"What do you want for a drink?" the waiter asked when he came to our table.

"Margaritas," we said in unison, and laughed.

We continued talking about various things until the food came. We both ordered tacos with spanish rice, refried beans, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. Our dessert was a brownie sundae, which we shared.

"Yummy!" I said, feeling like a little girl all over again. We both dug in, and I got some whipped cream on my chin. "Ooops,"

"Here, let me get that for you," Carlisle wiped my chin with his finger and then licked it. I laughed.

"I haven't eaten anything like that in years!" I said when we finished.

"It was good, huh?"

"Yeah," I said as he stared into my eyes, or rather, into my soul.

We didn't say anything until the waitress came over to clear our plates and then Carlisle gave her a tip. He took it back when she gave him her number and I glared at her.

"You have no reason to be jealous, my princess," he said, helping me up. "My eyes are only for you," Right in the middle of the restaurant, he started swirling me around.

"Wow…" I breathed. "So…um, what do you want me to get you?"

"Don't worry about it, honey. What would you like for Christmas?" he asked.

"I don't need anything, don't burden yourself with buying me gifts,"

"I'd give you the world if you asked me for it, darling,"

"I don't want the world," I whispered. "All I want for Christmas is you,"

"And you can have me," he said into my hair. Then, he lifted up my chin and we crashed our lips together.

"I just don't know what I did to deserve this," I said, feeling tears come to my eyes. He kissed my tears and then wiped them away with his thumb, cupping my chin in his other hand.

"Esme, you're my one and only love. I've been in love with you since the first time I saw you in that bar thirteen years ago. And I've missed you so much," I leaned the side of my face into his chest as he caressed my back and my hair.

"I've missed you too," I said breathlessly.

**Read and review…did you swoon? I know I did! The next chapter has a lemon, so just be warned…you might get a little weird down there! haha!**


	22. Needs and Desires

Esme POV:

He twirled me around and then brought me to his chest again, rubbing his hands on my arms. "You have goosebumps on your arms, sweetheart,"

"I'm shivering, and I don't think it's from the cold,"

"You feel like an ice cube. Here, wear my coat," He took off his coat and put it on me.

"Really, I'm fine," I insisted, snuggling into his arms. I felt very cozy, just swaying with him, with his coat wrapped around me.

"You look like an angel,"

I was blushing with all his compliments. "But what about on an ordinary day, I'm just plain,"

"No, you're not, my pretty girl. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. I couldn't ask for anything better,"

"But I have bruises and scars…and we had a one night stand, making me an ugly tramp. God, Charles was right,"

"You are far from ugly. I'd like to shoot that idiot for making you feel that way, but he's already dead. And you're not a tramp either. You're a sexy and smart girl who fell into my arms at the right time, and I'd like to kiss every injury you have to make it all better,"

I looked up at him, blinking my eyes to stop more tears.

"Gorgeous," he said simply. He trailed the back of his hand over my cheek and played with a lock of my hair. "So absolutely, mindblowingly gorgeous," he repeated.

"But how did it feel kissing my split lip? Be honest. It was weird, right?"

"I would like to kiss those cherry red lips of yours every second of every day. You don't know how much I think about you," With that, he pressed his lips to mine a few times and I moaned with satisfaction. He started kissing down my chin and then to my neck, removing the scarf. "I'm overlooking those bruises, you know," he mumbled into my neck. I wanted him to keep going, but at the same time, I wanted him to stop otherwise I would crumble on the floor.

"Oh, oh!" I cried out. He went back to my lips, but not before he sucked on my neck, creating a small hickey. He pulled away after a few seconds, and I was lost. My head was spinning crazily and I felt like I was going to faint.

"Kiss me again," I said, squeezing my legs together.

"Certainly, darling," he agreed, dipping me and giving me a long kiss, entwining his tongue with mine.

"Oh…god!" I groaned into his mouth. "This feels so…good!"

I giggled as he pulled me impossibly closer, with his erection pressing into my thigh. My insides were screaming for me to take him right there on the dance floor. I didn't know how much longer I could last.

"Wanna go back to my place?" he asked. I nodded, wiping away my tears of joy.

"All right, then," he said, hoisting me up. We quickly got into the car before he could penetrate me and please my straining vagina. I was finally hungry for sex with someone.

When we got home, he lifted me out of the car and carried me to his house while unlocking the door at the same time.

"How can you manage all this? Aren't I heavy?"

"You're very light, baby," He banged us into the wall, while we were kissing madly. We barely made it to the bedroom before I unzipped his pants and undid his belt. He kicked his pants off his ankles and threw them to the other side of the room. I struggled to pull off my dress, and he helped me. My panties soon joined the other clothes and his hands went to the back of my bra. I quickly realized what I was about to do, and froze. My breasts looked terrible.

"What's wrong? We don't have to do this…"

"I just look…bad…you know, under there,"

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, my girl,"

"You sure?"

"I'm positive. You're beautiful on the inside and out. And you are so warm and wet for me," He gently laid me down on the bed and I slid off my bra and flung it across the room. He looked into my eyes the whole time that he straddled me. I almost came when he entered me. He sucked on my nipples lightly but with desire and kissed his way down to my clit.

"Oh, you don't know what you're doing to me!" I shrieked. "Oh, fuck! CARLISLE! Oh, god, oh, god!" I panted. I giggled as he kissed my neck, shoulders, arms, and private areas. He licked around my nipples and then put two fingers inside my aching core.

"God, you're so fucking tight," he groaned, placing his hands on my butt, making me arch my back and throw my head back against the pillows. I bucked my hips into his, needing all of him in me.

"I'm almost there, oh, God!" I screamed uncontrollably. Then, I exploded inside him at the same time he came inside me and moaned, "I'm there, baby, I'm there!"

"I already penetrated you. Now, it's your turn. I'm hard already, so ride me," He flipped me so I was on top of him this time. I kissed him all over his face, tangling my hands in his hair as he massaged my back. Then, I kissed down to his cock and he moaned in pleasure, as did I.

"God, Esme, you're teasing me!"

I licked my lips seductively. "Baby, you know I am. And I want you…now," I said, growling as I opened my mouth and placed my lips around his hard member. I started sucking, and he moaned.

"Baby, I love you! I love you so much. Oh, honey, what you're doing to me is just-oh, FUCK! That's it, sweetheart!" I licked around his dick and he exploded inside my mouth. I looked up and crawled back onto his body. He put his fingers inside my sweet spot again, and I screamed with exhilaration, flailing on top of him.

"That feels so good!" I giggled. "I'm just falling apart here,"

"So am I," he admitted. He put his arms around me and held me close. "We're not allowed to be separated,"

"Yeah, we love each other too much,"

We lay there for a while until we heard an annoying ringing sound.

"Sweetie, your purse is ringing," Carlisle said as he stroked my hair lovingly.

"Aw, crap!" I groaned, getting up and getting my phone out of my purse. It was Renee, and I recognized the late hour. I gasped, realizing the kids were still at her house.

"Hello?"

"Where have you been, missy? I drove Edward back to your house, but you weren't there. Gianna's out with Eric, so I took Edward back to my house. He's falling asleep, along with Alice, Rosalie, and Bella! Bella is now laying in his lap and Charlie is hunting for his gun,"

"Uh, I, um…" I walked into the bathroom. "Carlisle and I had a really, really good time, and I mean, it was _fantastic, wet, wild,_ and just _amazing_. Oh, god…he made me dizzy with his love for me,"

"Did you two…" she trailed off.

"Yes,"

"Oh my god! You naughty girl! Don't worry, the kids can sleep over at my house,"

"No, no, it's fine. I feel like a terrible mother, I need to get home. God, I'm so sorry, Renee,"

"Don't be. You needed a night out, girl! Do you really want to come back home?"

"Er…I'm with my man…" I said guiltily.

"Then stay there. I'm fine with the kids sleeping over. I'll separate Bella and Edward, don't worry. I gave Bella the sex talk already, by the way,"

"Nice. I tried with Edward and he got all shy and had it with Carlisle instead,"

She burst out laughing. "Oh, well, I'll let you go! Tell Carlisle I said hey,"

"All right. See ya tomorrow,"

"Bye,"

I put my phone back into my purse and jumped into his arms. He smothered me with kisses.

"Mmmm, baby, I missed you!"

"That was Renee. The kids are gonna sleep over at her house. Is it okay if I sleep over here? I don't really want to sleep alone tonight and leave you here by yourself,"

"I'm such a bad father…"

"Then I'm an awful mother,"

"No, you're not!" we both said as we snuggled deep into the sheets.

"This was really romantic. Thanks for taking me out," I whispered before closing my eyes. He spooned me and kissed the top of my head.

"Anytime, baby girl,"

**Parents gone wild! haha! So, what did you all think of this one? 52 reviews, keep it going! I'm really enjoying the support! I'm giving you all virtual hugs right now! More reviews get you closer to the special surprise! The next chapter is way more tame than this one because it's Renee's POV of the kids writing letters to Santa, Edward and Bella's talking about their date, (maybe a kiss if you review!), and she hears the end of a serious talk between Rosalie and Alice…stay tuned!**


	23. Wishes and Dreams

Renee POV:

When Carlisle and Esme drove away, the girls started pouting. Aha…separation anxiety. I was so happy Esme was back with us, but she needed a night out!

"Now girls, they will be back later tonight," I told Rosalie and Alice.

"Yeah, now you can do whatever you want!" Bella cheered.

"Hey, Mrs. Swan, can you take us to the movies now?" Edward asked.

"Can we come?" Alice begged.

"In the car, yes, but I believe Edward and Bella want to be by themselves, just like your mommy and Rosalie's daddy,"

"Why?" Rosalie whined.

"Because we're going on a date," Bella informed her. "And when people go on a date…it's only two people, unless there's a group date, and we're seeing a movie that is inappropriate for you two,"

"Don't worry, Rosie. You and Alice can play with me!" Emmett exclaimed cheerfully.

Rosalie's face lit up. "Okay! Have fun, Bella and Edward! Bye!"

"Bye, guys!" Alice added.

"Charlie, you're with the kids!" I hollered as I left the house with my daughter and Edward.

"See you soon, Renee!"

As I was driving them to the movies, they were talking to each other quietly. I smiled at Bella in the rearview mirror.

"Bella, you look nice,"

"Thanks. So do you. Oh, look, we match!" They both laughed.

"What movie are you guys seeing?" I asked them.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part One," Edward announced.

"It's supposed to be really cool, with all the special effects," Bella said excitedly.

I pulled up to the theater. "Okay, you kids have fun. Bella, call me when the movie is over. I don't think Esme can pick you up, she'll still be on her date,"

"Okay, Mom. Thanks for driving us. Bye!"

"Bye,"

I stayed there until they got in safely, and I noticed that Edward had given Bella some flowers and they were holding hands. I smiled to myself as I drove back home. My daughter may have found her soulmate, just like my best friend did, and I did.

I came home to three kids at the dining room table with paper and pencils around them. Charlie was watching TV and everyone was quietly scribbling on the paper.

"Hey, guys…whatcha doing?"

"We're writing to Santa!" Alice exclaimed.

"Mommy, look! I finished before the girls!" Emmett said, giving me his letter.

"I'm almost done!" Rosalie grumbled.

"Guys…it's not a competition," Then, I read Emmett's letter.

_Dear Santa,_

_I'm a seven year old boy, and here is what I want for Christmas: a bike, toy cars, Legos, the movie Star Wars, video games, a mini DVD player, the movie Up, a football, a football jersey, sunglasses, a cool hat, and a telescope. I've been a very good boy this year, trust me! And I want Rosie to play with me more in school so please tell her to do that! Oh, and get my mommy and daddy to have everything they want and get Bella to kiss Edward because I know she likes him! And we have to all go to Disneyland for winter vacation, starting after Christmas!_

_Love,_

_Emmett Swan, Forks Washington, USA_

_P.S. Christmas is in a few days! I'm so excited!_

"Good one, honey!" I congratulated him. Then, I handed it back to him to address it to the North Pole. Charlie and I would have to get started on his gifts right away. Bella told me what she wanted a week ago, and I had a trunkful of presents!

"I'm done, Mrs. Swan," Rosalie said proudly, handing it to me.

"Me too!" Alice chimed in.

"You know, you girls can call me Auntie Renee, because I'm your parents' best friend," I assured them.

I read Alice's, then Rosalie's.

_Dear Santa,_

_I'm a five year old girl who has been through a lot, and I'm sorry I haven't written to you until now. My old daddy was mean and he hurt me and my mommy and my brother so we ran away. I've been a very good girl, so don't believe anything my daddy tells you in his letter. He's wrong. Please give him coal. I beg of you! But give my mommy dresses and pretty things and tell Carlisle to marry her, because I want him to be my daddy! And get her a ring so they can get married. I also want us to go to Disneyland because I've never been there. And I want Barbies, powerpuff girl dolls, Polly Pockets, the game Pretty, Pretty Princess, a Barbie motorhome, a colorful dress, cute clothes, the Hannah Montana DVD, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and other Disney movies, and get my brother cool clothes and an iTouch too. _

_Love,_

_Alice Platt, Forks Washington, USA_

I was almost crying as I read hers. It was so heartfelt and emotional, and I wanted to give her her special wishes. I gave it back to Alice and told her to address it to the North Pole.

"This is a very sweet letter. Okay, Rosalie, now, I'm reading yours!"

_Dear Santa,_

_I am a five year old girl, and I thank you for everything you've gotten me since I was born. I really enjoy my things! But now, I would like a bike, cool toy cars, a makeup kit, pretty clothes, a Barbie DVD and also Hannah Montana, the movies To Grandmother's House We Go, It Takes Two, and warm pajamas, a scarf like what you've seen Esme wear, oh, and speaking of Esme, please ask Carlisle to marry her. I really want her to be my mommy. My other mommy was not nice to my daddy because she went away from us and she didn't love us. I love Esme much more than her, and I love my daddy and want him to be happy. And I want us all to go to Disneyland!_

_Love,_

_Rosalie Cullen, Forks, Washington, USA_

"That is excellent, Rosie," I said, giving it back to her. She too, addressed the envelope and put the letter in it. I took all three of their letters to the 'mailbox' A.K.A., mine and Charlie's room, and went back downstairs to make some pasta for the kids. Charlie had already eaten on his job, and I wasn't hungry yet. I served them, and they were very gracious.

Then the talk about Esme and Carlisle started.

**Read and review, please! Next chapter...gossip!**


	24. Gossip

Renee POV:

"My mommy thinks your daddy is the bestest thing since sliced bread!" Alice was saying to Rosalie.

"My daddy said your mommy's as sweet as apple pie!" Rosalie exclaimed cheerfully.

"My mommy loves your daddy," Alice said.

"My daddy wants to marry your mommy!" Rosalie said.

"Really?" Alice asked excitedly.

"Yeah, he says her name in his sleep, like 'Esme, marry me,' when he's dreaming of her,"

"I hope they get married!" Emmett exclaimed. "Rosie, will you marry me?"

"Of course I will, Emmett! Alice, will you marry us, please?"

"Sure! But you have to wear a white dress and Emmett has to wear a suit. Auntie Renee, can you watch the wedding?"

"I'd love to," I said, following them.

They looked so cute in their best clothes. They were halfway done by the time I got up there, because I had to clean up first. They were humming "Here Comes the Bride" as Rosalie walked down the "aisle" in her dress. She linked arms with Emmett at the end of the song.

"Rosalie, do you want Emmett to be your husband forever?"

"I do!"

"Emmett, do you want Rosalie to be your wife forever?"

"I do!"

"Exchange the rings,"

They exchanged spider rings, and it was so cute.

"You may now kiss the bride!"

"Ew! Cooties!" they both exclaimed.

"You have to kiss! It makes it official!" Alice said, with her hands on her hips.

Emmett put his hands on Rosalie's waist. "This is how Daddy kisses Mommy. We can just copy them, okay?"

Rosalie nodded and leaned in closer. They touched lips and Alice and I both clapped. It was so adorable. Rosalie blushed bright red when she pulled away.

"I liked it," she giggled.

"Me too. I felt like a grown up!"

"I wonder what it felt like," Alice said, moving to my side.

"Oh, I bet it was wonderful," I said, smiling. "Emmett, do you want to watch Power Rangers? It's on now, and I know the girls want girl time now,"

"Yes, Mommy!" he said, and followed me.

Rosalie POV:

I loved it when Emmett kissed me, and I wondered if Esme felt that way when my daddy kissed her.

"Rosie, why do you not play with me at lunchtime?" Alice asked me out of the blue.

"It's a secret!"

"Pleeeeeeease?" she begged.

"Well, I need to tell you something, but you can't tell anyone. Promise?"

"Yes,"

"Have you ever been touched, I mean down here?" I pointed to my lap.

"Yes. That's why my mommy killed my daddy, he touched me in a spot that was inappropriate,"

"The principal, Mr. King touches me all the time there at lunch, and I can't get away! I want to, but he hurts me if I try. He says he loves me and stuff, and kisses me. You can't tell anyone, not even my daddy or your mommy! Pinkie swear,"

I stuck my pinkie finger out and she hooked it with hers.

Renee POV:

I went back upstairs to do laundry and heard them talking.

"You can't tell anyone!" Rosalie was saying.

"I won't. Don't worry," Alice promised.

I wondered what they were talking about. I opened the door and they stopped chatting immediately, and they looked at me right away, like deer caught in headlights. Something was up.

"Girls, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing," Rosalie said quickly.

Alice stared down at her lap and twiddled her thumbs. "It's a secret, like a surprise,"

"For your parents? But you can tell me,"

"No, we can't, no grown ups are allowed to know," Rosalie insisted.

"Oh, I get it. Kids stuff, huh?"

"Yeah. Kids stuff," Alice nodded.

"Okay then…" I said and closed the door behind me. Then, Bella called me, telling me the movie was over and I picked them both up. They were quiet on the way home, just holding hands, but when I led them in the house, they crashed on the couch and began talking about how awesome the movie was. Edward said he put his arm around Bella and then they shared a special kiss. I was glad Bella got her first kiss, and with the right guy. Soon, they fell asleep around eleven, and I checked up on the kids. I saw Rosalie snuggled into Emmett, and Alice on the other side of Rosalie. They were all sleeping, and I wanted to take a picture of them, so I did, without the flash. Then, I kissed them goodnight.

I called Esme and asked where she was, but she was having the time of her life with Carlisle. I was so happy for her, and I wanted to tell her that Alice and Rosalie were keeping things from me, I almost did, but I decided not to. I didn't want to worry her about anything on her night out. The kids slept over here in Emmett's bed, and I was perfectly fine with that. I woke up Edward, who had Bella sprawled on his lap on the couch, so Charlie wouldn't get his gun, and Edward carried Bella to her bed and kissed her goodnight. A dark blush spread over her cheeks. Edward slept on the top bunk in Emmett's room. The sleeping arrangements were perfect. In fact, the whole night went great. I couldn't wait for tomorrow.

But I was still curious and concerned about what was going on with Rosalie and Alice.

**Read and review, please! Next chapter: Carlisle's POV of him talking with Rosalie about school and at lunch, but finding out nothing, and him buying Esme's engagement ring with Edward's help, while Esme has girl time with Alice and Rosalie!**


	25. Planning

Carlisle POV:

The morning light woke me up, at around nine. I could still see Esme sleeping peacefully by my side with a lovely smile on her face. She was nestled into my chest, and I stroked her hair gently with my fingers. She hummed to herself, yawned quietly and rolled over to face me, opening her beautiful, sparkling, green eyes.

"Good morning, angel," were my first words to her.

"Morning, baby,"

I ran my hands over her shoulders, and she giggled. "You're breathtaking,"

"I just woke up, my hair is a mess…" she trailed off.

"But you're my beauty, and I still think you're gorgeous,"

"You're so sweet, Carlisle, but really, I have morning breath, sleep circles, bed head, smudged makeup, and on top of all that, I'm naked with disgusting bruises all over myself,"

I kissed her to shut her up, and she started giggling as I moved my lips down her chin, her jaw, and then her neck. "Sweet, sweet Esme," I mumbled into her neck.

"Carlisle, we need to get…" She trailed off as I kissed my way down to her navel and then back up to her breasts. "the kids," she managed through her ragged breath. "Oh, you're tempting me…god, you did it…"

As I massaged her rosy nipples with my fingers, she began to arch her back and moan. "Oh, Jesus, baby!" I placed my lips over her nipples, making her buck her hips, and I was over her instantly. My dick went straight into her wet center.

"Please," she begged. "More, Carlisle! Oh, god! More, please, I can't stand it! I'm about to…" she was panting and whimpering as I exploded inside her.

"Cum for me, baby," I whispered as her breathing got louder.

"I'm almost there! Oh, god! Please…please…" She was almost at her climax.

"You like what I'm doing to you?" I asked, going in further. Her toes curled, she tilted her head back, her eyes rolled back into her head, and she gave a scream of pleasure as she came, hard and fast. We both lay back on the bed, panting.

"You are a sex god, I swear," Esme laughed. The sound was like bells, or angels singing. "But really, we should go and get the girls and Edward,"

"Yeah, I guess you're right, babe. I'll get dressed now,"

"Me too," she said, getting out of bed and stepping into her dress that stopped my heart last night. "It's okay, you can look,"

I didn't look, because I wanted to give her some privacy. When we both finished getting dressed, we fixed our hair a little so the kids wouldn't ask questions. I put my arm around her waist as she bent down to get her purse, jewelry, and her cardigan.

"Tap my ass, baby," she said slyly. She wiggled her cute little ass and I patted it gently. "I've been naughty, haven't I?"

"Yes, you have! Lord, you're tempting _me_ now!" I said, leading her out of my bedroom.

"I asked Renee for lacy, black lingerie for Christmas, and it's all for you," she said seductively, tracing my lips with her fingers. I sucked on her fingers and she giggled. I put my arms around her waist and we continued to go downstairs. I drove sort of fast to Renee's house, because we felt bad for making her wait and babysit for the children longer than she needed to.

I rang the doorbell with my arm linked through Esme's, and Renee asked, "Who is it?"

"It's us," Esme said sweetly.

Renee threw open the door. "Oh, it's the lovebirds, back from their little mating session!" She turned to face the hallway, leading to the kitchen. "Kids! Your parents are back!"

We chuckled as Alice and Rosalie barreled towards us with pieces of waffle in their hands, and I scooped up my daughter, and Esme scooped up hers. Shouts of "MOMMY! DADDY!" filled the air.

"Hey! How's my little girl?" I asked Rosalie, lifting her up in my arms.

"I'm okay, Daddy! I like waffles!"

"I know you do, sweetheart,"

"Hi, Mommy! Hi Carlisle!" Alice greeted us. Esme lifted Alice up in her arms, and Alice giggled.

"Hi, Esme!" Rosalie added. They both were struggling to get down, but we had to tickle them first. After a few rounds of giggling and "let me down!"s, we placed them on the floor and they ran off to play with Emmett and get cleaned up.

Edward walked towards Esme with a glum expression on his face.

"What is it, Edward?" Esme asked.

"I don't want to leave Bella, that's all, I'll be bored, with you hanging out with your new boyfriend or Alice for girl time…"

"You can stay here longer, if you'd like," Bella said, coming up behind him and hugging him around his waist. He kissed the top of her head, and she blushed. I gave him a thumbs-up, and he gave me a head nod with no smile back.

"Bella, it's okay, I don't want to make Renee be the baby-sitter anymore. She babysat all of you enough last night and this morning-she even made you breakfast! Thanks, Renee," Esme said, and she and her best friend hugged.

I just got an idea-Esme was my soulmate, and I wanted to buy her a ring so I could propose to her on Christmas Day. I'd do it with Edward's help. So, I excused myself and beckoned for Edward to follow me into another room.

"Hey, buddy, what do you say about me proposing to your mom?" I whispered so Esme wouldn't hear me.

"If you're nice to her, sure, you can do that, that'd be cool,"

"I love her very much, and I'd never hurt her in any way. Don't worry, I promise I won't hurt her. I've never raised a hand to a woman in my life. Do you want to come with me to the jewelry store to buy her an engagement ring? A little father-son bonding?"

"Yeah, that's a great idea. I could help you pick out the ring!"

"Awesome, dude," I said, giving him a hi-five. He grinned shyly and punched my shoulder playfully. Then, we joined the others. I heard Esme and Renee talking softly.

**Read and review, please! Next chapter: Carlisle and Esme ask the girls what's going on, but the girls say nothing is going on and have a little fight with them!**


	26. To No Avail

Carlisle POV:

"Well, she hasn't really told me anything, and Alice has no idea why…" Esme was saying. I walked up to her and held her around her waist.

"Oh, Carlisle, I'm glad you joined us. I was just asking Esme if she knew anything about Rosalie not being there at lunch, or if Alice knew anything. See, I overheard them talking in Emmett's bedroom, just the two of them. Rosalie was telling Alice not to say anything about whatever they were talking about, and Alice said she wouldn't repeat whatever Rosalie told her. When I asked them about it, they shut up immediately, looked at me like deer in headlights, and told me it was nothing, and it was kids' stuff. Seems to me it _is_ something, and whatever's going on is bad or possibly dangerous for the girls,"

"Thanks for telling us, Renee. I'll definitely talk to Rosalie about it, and Alice too," I said, patting her shoulder reassuringly. She smiled back at me, and then hugged us both as the kids got their stuff and ran up to us, after hugging Renee, Emmett and Bella goodbye.

"Bye, guys. Drive safely!" she called out the door. We waved back at her and drove away.

When we got to my house, we sent Edward to play video games so we could talk to the girls privately.

"Girls, how are you?" I asked.

"We're good," they said at the same time.

"How is school?" Esme asked in a conversational tone.

"Fine," they said in unison.

"What do you both like doing at lunch?" I asked, trying not to make my voice sound suspicious.

"I like to play with Maggie," Alice said happily.

"Me too," Rosalie said, almost as if it was rehearsed.

"Where do you eat your lunch?" Esme asked.

"The tables," Alice and Rosalie said.

Here was the big question. "Girls, Renee overheard you talking about secrets between the two of you…what are you keeping from us? You can tell us anything, we're your parents,"

Esme squeezed my hand tightly.

"It was nothing, just kids' stuff, right, Rosie?" Alice asked.

"Yup!"

I sighed and got up from the couch. "Renee seemed really concerned. You sure it was nothing? Rose, come with me for a sec," I said, pulling her along with me into her bedroom. I sat her up on the bed and let go of her arm. She yanked her arm away instantly, like I'd shocked her just by touching her or something.

"What is going on at lunch? Tell me the truth. Are they leaving you out of activities? Esme said you don't play with Alice or Maggie at lunch. Don't lie to me, honey. I can help you,"

"Daddy, nothing's going on! I'm fine! Esme's the liar!"

"Esme wouldn't lie about something serious like this," I said, folding my arms across my chest. "Rosalie, I need you to tell me,"

"I can't! It's just between me and Ali. Like we said, kids' stuff!"

"Please,"

"NO!" she screamed, laying flat on her bed. "No, no, no!"

"Is someone being mean to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it! It's nothing! Why don't you listen? Yeah, nobody ever listens to kids! It's so unfair! I'm mad at you, Daddy!" She stomped on my foot and ran out of the room.

"Mommy, she said not to tell! I want to keep her secret!" Alice was shouting at Esme.

"Baby, I'm trying to protect you! What do you know, honey? Tell me,"

"No! You're being a mean mommy! I like Carlisle better because he never asked me a lot of questions!"

"And you're a big, fat liar!" Rosalie added, pointing to Esme and running out of the room with Alice. I heard them both crying in Rosalie's bedroom.

"I'm really worried, now, Carlisle," Esme said as she sat down next to me on my leather couch.

"Me too, but let's just give them time…just wondering, does Renee overreact often?"

Esme shot me a glare that made me forget what I just said. "Never mind,"

She laughed. "Thank you. My best friend would never lie about something that serious,"

"Speaking of serious…a monster is about to get you, so RUN!" I yelled, making her leap off the couch and run to another room, screaming as I chased her.

"NO! NO!" she squealed as I growled and pinned her against the floor where she fell. She was panting, and her heart was beating extremely fast. I brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her all over. We quickly sat up when we heard the girls approaching us.

"My daddy thinks your mommy is pretty and he loves her," Rosalie said in a much more cheerful tone to Alice.

"Are you sure, because a man hurted her and I don't like my mommy saying 'ow'," Alice responded.

"I'm positive," I said, getting up and swinging Alice into my arms. She laughed as I bounced her a few times and then put her down.

"We're sorry, Daddy and Esme," Rosalie said, looking at her feet and twisting her body around a few times nervously.

"Yeah, we don't like too many questions," Alice muttered.

"We forgive you, darlings," Esme said, and I swept my daughter up into my arms. She looked me in the eyes and kissed my cheek.

"Thanks, baby," I said, tousling her hair, kissing her forehead, and then putting her down.

"I love you, Mommy," Alice said, hugging Esme's legs. She bent down and hugged her daughter right back.

"I love you too, baby," Esme murmured into Alice's hair.

"Well, Esme…I'm going with Edward to bond with him for guy time…do you mind spending the rest of the day with the girls?" I asked, pulling her to my chest.

"No, not at all! I'm glad you and your son are hanging out together. It gives me more time to hang out with my daughters,"

"You think of-"

"Yes, Rosalie is like a daughter to me," Esme said, beaming.

"I'm so happy to hear that. So is Alice, to me,"

"Dad, let's go," Edward said, and I gave Esme and the girls hugs goodbye.

"Wait...Daddy?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes?"

"When are we getting a Christmas tree?"

"Tomorrow. We can all get one!"

"YAY!" the girls squealed, jumping up and down. Esme held them close as Edward and I left to buy her a ring.

**Read and please review! Next chapter: Father/son bonding and a little of Esme spending time with the girls!**


	27. Bonding

Carlisle POV:

"Think this one is good?" I asked him once we got in the store, and I was pointing to a gold ring with a purple center.

"Eh, it's okay…but she likes silver the most,"

"Alright…here's a sparkly silver diamond ring. Looks like it would fit her," I said to myself. Then, I turned to the cashier. "Would you mind trying this on? It's for my girlfriend," I said as she eye-fucked me.

"It fits, I hope you two have a good wedding. That'll be $1,000,000, sir,"

Edward whistled slowly as I got out my wallet and gave her the money.

She raised an eyebrow. "Millionaire, huh? When you dump her, can I have a shot, honey?"

"She's my soulmate. And I'm actually a billionaire," I smirked at her, grabbing the box with the ring inside and shoving it in my pocket. "Sorry," I said, walking out of the store. Edward was laughing at the shocked expression on her face.

"That's what she gets for dissing Mom!" he said, and I held out my palm so he could give me a hi-five.

"Yep. What else do you want to do, Edward? We've eaten foot-long hotdogs, gone to five ring shops, watched the Niner's football game of the season…and now, it's almost six,"

"Can we play a little baseball?" he asked. "I brought my stuff, just in case we had time…"

"Sure," I drove us to a nearby park and we took our places. "Batter up!" I shouted as Edward stood on home base. I threw it to him, and he swung. He started running around the bases, shouting, "Home run! Platt hits it outta the park! Cullen goes home defeated! HOME RUN!"

"Not for a long shot, bud!" I said, trapping him. "My turn!"

"All right, Dad. I'll throw, you hit…if you can, old man,"

"It's a challenge, huh? Well, I'll show you…"

"Ready?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be,"

He pitched me the ball, and I swung hard, creating a crack sound when the ball hit the bat hard. It didn't go as far as Edward, because he caught the ball when I was on second based. He raised his arms over his head and cheered. I congratulated him, and then it was time to go home.

"I'm trying out for baseball at school," he informed me.

"That's good, son. You'll make it for sure,"

"And…also, I'm taking piano lessons,"

"Multitalented? Awesome!"

"Thanks, Dad,"

"So…how was your date with Bella?"

"It was really fun…at first, I just held her hand, but in the middle of the movie, she leaned her head on my shoulder and I put my arm around her and she snuggled up to me. Next thing I know, we're kissing like there's no tomorrow. It was the best feeling in the world,"

"That's great, son. And did you do what I advised you?"

"Yup, I got the flowers for her, gave her my coat when it was cold, helped her out of the car…you're a real Romeo, Dad, and you've turned me into one too. So, thanks. I love you," He gave me a big hug, and I clapped him on the back.

"I'm proud of you, Edward. Starting like a mature boyfriend at a young age, good for you,"

"So, Dad, when did you learn all that stuff?"

"My grandpa taught me, when I was just a freshman in high school, just like you. But none of the girls were real enough for me, until I was nineteen and met your mom in that bar thirteen years ago. Our date last night was wonderful, and I love her very much,"

"I'm glad you're marrying her,"

"Do you want to be my best man?"

"Yes, I certainly do. I'd be honored," he said as we drove home. "You're the best dad ever,"

I smiled as I walked in the house with him, and I heard my beautiful wife-to-be finishing a story to the girls, who were snug in Rosalie's bed. I put the box with the ring inside in a hidden place where I could get it when it was time to wrap presents.

"And they all lived happily ever after," Esme said, closing the Cinderella book and putting it on the bedside table.

"Mommy, can you sing us something?" Alice asked.

"Sure, sweetie,"

"Lullaby, and good night,

With pink roses bedight,

With lilies o'erspread,

Is my baby's sweet head.

Lay you down now, and rest,

May your slumber be blessed!

Lay you down now, and rest,

May thy slumber be blessed!

Lullaby, and good night,

You're your mother's delight,

Shining angels beside

My darling abide.

Soft and warm is your bed,

Close your eyes and rest your head.

Soft and warm is your bed,

Close your eyes and rest your head.

Sleepyhead, close your eyes.

Mother's right here beside you.

I'll protect you from harm,

You will wake in my arms.

Guardian angels are near,

So sleep on, with no fear.

Guardian angels are near,

So sleep on, with no fear.

Lullaby, and sleep tight.

Hush! My darling is sleeping,

On her sheets white as cream,

With her head full of dreams.

When the sky's bright with dawn,

She will wake in the morning.

When noontide warms the world,

She will frolic in the sun.

"More! More!" Rosalie begged, clapping. "Just one more, please?"

"Of course, baby!"

"The other night dear, as I lay sleeping

I dreamed I held you in my arms

But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken

So I hung my head and I cried.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

I'll always love you and make you happy,

If you will only say the same.

But if you leave me and love another,

You'll regret it all some day:

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away,"

"YAY!" they cheered, clapping as Esme tucked them further into the sheets. She smoothed Alice's hair back and kissed her on the cheek and then the forehead, and did the same with Rosalie.

"I love you, girls,"

"I love you too, Mommy!" Alice said.

"I love you, Esme," Rosalie chimed in.

Then, Esme patted the side of the bed and got up to face Edward and I.

**Read and review, pretty please with whipped cream on top! Next chapter: Suspicions arise when Alice and Rosalie both have nightmares!**


	28. Suspicions

Carlisle POV:

"Hey, guys! Did you have fun?" she asked, kissing me.

"Yes. Carlisle took me to play baseball, and we watched the Niners' game of the season! And we ate footlong hotdogs!" Edward whispered excitedly as we exited the room. "He's the best father ever. You weren't kidding, Mom, he's cool!"

"I'm glad you had fun, sweetie. Why don't you go ahead and watch a movie until around midnight, while your father and I have quiet time?"

"Sure," he agreed, and laid on the red L-shaped couch, flipping on the TV to find something. Esme was rolling up her sleeves and putting away the dishes from the girls' dinner, when I surprised her by holding her around the waist and kissing the back of her neck deeply.

"Oh!" she jumped.

"Sorry, honey…I can't resist. You're so sexy,"

"But I'm in sweats, and covered in spaghetti sauce! I had to deal with a mini food fight today…and I forgot to redo my makeup…" I slipped my hand in hers and pulled her against my chest.

"I'm so lucky to have a girl like you, and I care about you. I think you're pretty with or without makeup on, and I don't mind you in sweats. You're so good with the girls, sweetheart,"

"Thanks, but I'm tired, and I couldn't look that good…"

"You're a beautiful singer, by the way,"

"I have a terrible voice, when I started singing to Alice when she was born, Charles said he never wanted to hear me again. He said I was so bad that dogs near the house would run away,"

I scoffed, hating this guy more and more. "Esme, that-_vermin_-he's not even a man, but that _vermin_ does not deserve to even live, and it's good that he's deceased. I love your voice, and it's beyond wonderful to hear you singing or even talking. You are a lovely woman, with a beautiful voice to match. Charles wouldn't know a good singer if it slapped him in the face. He doesn't know his ass from his elbow," Esme snorted with laughter as I said this.

I kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, and then her lips, and she started giggling again. "Forget about him, please, baby,"

"Okay, fine…I will,"

I started helping her with the dishes and ignored her protests. "How was your day with the girls?"

"It was fun, we went out for ice cream, had lunch here, I took them to the playground in the park, they played there almost all day, and then we had dinner here. Then, I gave them a bath, and Rosalie insisted on wearing a bathing suit. That just makes me really suspicious, but she wasn't hurt anywhere, like on her arms and legs…and I never saw her under the bathing suit, because she dressed herself in her room,"

"I might have to talk with the principal about this, if people really are bullying her-it's a possibility that it's some mean kids insulting her, and she's just really shy and she may be in a bathing suit wearing stage. She's been wearing a bathing suit in the bathtub ever since she started kindergarten. It could be a phase," I said, kissing Esme's forehead. "Don't you worry, sweetie. I'll take care of it." I led her to my bed and she fell asleep against my chest. I watched her sleep for a few minutes while lightly stroking her hair.

"Good night," she mumbled sleepily.

"Night, love," I replied.

I heard Edward go to bed around midnight, and an hour later, I was awoken by Esme's whimpers. I stroked her face with my thumb, wiping away her tears.

"Darling, what's wrong?"

"NO, PLEASE! GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed. I shook her awake slightly, and she sat up, confused.

"You were having a nightmare," I explained.

"Yeah…Charles came back from the dead to attack me,"

"That'll never happen, don't you panic,"

I had just gotten her back to sleep when the girls started shouting for us.

"MOMMY! DADDY!" their shrill voices called from across the hallway. We bolted out of bed and ran to their bedroom. Both of them were sitting upright in their bed, rubbing away tears.

"Daddy, make him go away!" Rosalie sobbed.

"Who, baby?"

"I don't know, he was in my dream, but he was real! Like a monster under my bed, and I was too scared to jump down from the bed because I thought he would grab my ankle and pull me under!"

"Mommy, something bad's gonna happen next month when we go back to school!"

"Oh, baby, it was just a dream," Esme said, smoothing back Alice's hair.

"No, Mommy, no, it wasn't! Everything in my dreams turns out to be true, all the time, and me, you, and Rosie are gonna get hurt! He's not gonna hurt Auntie Renee because he knows she's married to a policeman!"

"Who is this 'he' person?" I asked.

"I don't know!" Alice wailed. "I just heard a man's voice yelling at us, and we were running really fast, but not really going anywhere, and Rosie was calling you for help!" She put her head in her hands and her shoulders shook with sobs.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Rosalie cried into my arms. "I don't want him to get us!"

"No one will get you if I can help it," I said in a sure sounding voice. "It would help us a lot if we knew who this guy was,"

Esme and I switched positions, and she started hugging Rosalie and kissing her on the forehead. I hugged Alice good night and kissed the top of her head when she pulled me down so her lips were at my ear.

"Did you buy Mommy a ring? I saw it in a dream," she whispered.

"Yes. Shhh!" I put my index finger to my lips and she made a motion across her lips with her thumb and index fingers pressed together.

"My lips are sealed," She smiled and kissed me on the cheek.

We put the girls back under their sheets, turned on the night lights, and hoped for the rest of the night to be silent. I pulled Esme close to me under our own covers.

"I really hope Alice's nightmare doesn't come true. It might be Charles!" she fretted.

"Esme, it's not Charles, because he's long gone. Just remember, you're safe in my arms,"

They all were.

**Read and review, please! Next chapter: They buy a Christmas tree and decorate it! Also, they go Christmas shopping! No more drama till after Christmas! Do you have any ideas for how Carlisle and Esme could get into a fight?**


	29. Shop til we Drop

Carlisle POV:

It turned out that the Swans were also getting a tree, so we just went as a big group. The kids explored around what they called a winter wonderland, and Bella and Edward walked through the area, holding hands and talking. Renee and Charlie were still talking about which tree to get, when Esme and I had reached a decision. I would go with whatever she wanted, since she never had a choice in her life, and I loved her. But she insisted getting what I wanted. It turned out we both wanted a ten foot tall tree, and that's what we got. Charlie, Edward, and I carried the tree to my car and tied it to the top. We did the same with the Swans' tree. Alice, Rosalie, and Edward said goodbye to Emmett and Bella, Esme and I said bye to Renee and Charlie, and then, we left to decorate our tree. Pretty soon, it was decorated with many pretty ornaments, and I lifted Rosalie up to put the star on the tree. Esme and I both lifted Alice up to put the ornaments on the highest part of the tree. After that was done, Edward was instructed to watch the girls while we went shopping to buy their gifts.

"We're going to Port Angeles, the Landings Mall. First stop-we're getting a bike for Edward, and also, a PS3. Come on," Esme said, pulling me into the mall.

"I'm gonna be so embarrassed in the little girls' section," I complained.

"Not with me, you won't be," she said, rolling her eyes. "When a man is seen with a woman in a mall, they assume it's the woman's fault. No one will assume you're buying that for yourself…besides, it's Christmas season. Men everywhere are buying girly things for their daughters, girlfriends, wives, or any important females in their life!"

I followed her into the electronics store, and she pointed at a Nintendo Wii set. "Aha! Edward would love that! So would we, but I mean, it's the perfect gift for him, don't you think?"

"Definitely. How much?"

Esme raised an eyebrow. "$250. We can split the cost…"

"I'll pay for it,"

"No, we'll split the cost. He's our son, not just mine, and not just yours,"

"That's fine, whatever you want, baby," I said, lifting the box and putting it into our shopping cart. "Next stop?"

"I'll get him some video games…a Mac computer…and an iTouch for all three of them," she was saying as she put the items into our cart.

"Don't forget that bike shop!" I said, pointing to the store across the mall. She nodded to herself and proceeded to the cash register. "Oh, I got him a piano book too,"

"Thanks," she said, taking it from me. In a second, we were picking out a dark blue and black bike that would be good for Edward, and his presents were done. Then, we got a pink bike for Rosalie. Now, for the girls. First, we went to Target and bought the movie Star Wars for Edward, and Hannah Montana: The Movie, a Barbie DVD, and all the Disney movies known to mankind, because we didn't know their favorites. We'd spent over $300 on Edward, why not the girls? We also bought some Mary Kate and Ashley movies, such as To Grandmother's House We Go and It Takes Two.

"I think we're done here. Now, Toys R Us!" Esme announced, wheeling the cart full of movies and CD's filled with Hannah Montana and soundtracks to Disney movies.

"That'll be $200, miss," the cashier said, and Esme forked over a combination of our money like it was nothing. Our trunk was starting to get full, but we still had to get toys for the girls!

"Barbies, Polly Pockets, powerpuff girl dolls, Polly Pockets, the game Pretty, Pretty Princess, a Barbie motorhome," Esme was murmuring to herself as she put each thing in the cart. There was so much pink that I had to squint my eyes. She looked back at me and smiled.

"What are you making that face for, baby?" she giggled.

"Too much pink," I whined.

"I'll wrap them in green, don't worry," she said, patting my shoulder and kissing me on the lips. "But just be glad you're not in Claire's or Hot Topic yet, the land of clothes," she said in a scary voice. She picked up a few toy cars for Rosalie.

"Esme, you're torturing me,"

"At home, I can torture you even more," she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"You don't know what you're doing to me right now," I groaned.

"I bet I do," she said, licking her lips. "But I'm not gonna take you in the middle of a kid-friendly store," We then headed over to the cashier. The cost was fifty dollars, and we had to buy clothes now! My worst nightmare!

I survived Hot Topic, because we bought some navy blue jeans and a cool band t-shirt for Edward, but Claire's was a different story. Esme bought so much jewelry that I could hear it clanging in her hands, and I wasn't sure if that was all for the girls. She bought a bright pink dress for Rosalie and a yellow one for Alice, and said they could share the dresses, since they were about the same size. Rosalie was only a bit shorter than Alice. She also got scarves, jeans, shirts, and cute pajamas…and then a makeup kit.

"Esme…"

"What? She asked for makeup,"

"She's growing up too fast," I said, shaking my head.

"Wait till you find out what Renee told me about her and Emmett," she said, smirking. "They shared a sweet kiss, but it was quick,"

"My God, she'll have a boyfriend by the time she's six!"

"I think she already has one in Emmett. You can't keep her away from boys forever. But just remember, she'll always be your little girl," With that, she dumped everything on the desk for the cashier.

"Whew!" I wiped a hand over my forehead.

"Oh, quit being dramatic, it wasn't that bad," she chuckled, putting three bags on my arm. "The car's right there, we'll be home very soon,"

"You're right, honey. I just hate shopping," I grumbled. "Dads like to get homemade stuff for their kids, and boy stuff like bikes and non-girly stuff like electronics,"

"Sorry," she said, kissing my cheek and taking the bags from me. "You can make them something if you want,"

"Nah, it's fine, we got them everything they wanted," I said, shrugging. "You're such a shopaholic, but a sexy shopaholic,"

She grinned. "That's better. I love you,"

"Love you too,"

**Now we see where Alice gets her shopaholic gene from! haha! And the shopping wasn't for Esme at all! Tell me what you think of this chapter and stay tuned for the next one: The sing-along with Esme and Renee's classes! Maybe Carlisle's meeting with Mr. King, or if not, in the chapter after next!**


	30. Child's Play

Esme POV:

"Rosie, you gotta wake up, baby," I said, smoothing her curls away from her face. "Come on,"

"No, Esme, I wanna sleep,"

"But, Rosie! Nothing will happen today! Just a sing-along with Mommy and Auntie Renee's classes! It'll be fun!" Alice insisted.

"Fine, but can I go home at lunch, please?"

"I have to stay…do you want to stay in my room?" I asked.

"Sure," she said as I lifted her out of bed.

"I wanna look pretty for Emmett," she giggled as she put on a pink dress and spun around in it. "Can you put my hair in a half pony, Esme?"

"Certainly, darling!"

"Mommy, can you put my hair in braids, please?" Alice asked.

"Of course, hold on a second," I said as I fixed Rosalie's hair. "There, honey. Now, Alice, it's your turn,"

I was done with one of Alice's braids when she turned to face Rosalie. "It's okay if you stay for lunch. Your daddy's gonna have a meeting with the principal, and it'll all be good. Whatever meanie mos are bothering you are gonna get in trouble!" Rosalie just nodded and scampered out of the room.

"What meanies?" I wondered aloud.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Some dumb kids named Riley, Jane, and Maria are calling me a midget and Rosalie a dumb blonde,"

"Oh, is that it?" I asked.

"Yeah," Alice said, shrugging. "We can handle it, it's just annoying! They're mean to Nessie, Maggie, Jasper, Emmett, and Jacob too. They call us tard lovers because Nessie and Jacob are disabled,"

"That's not very nice! Then it's good that Carlisle is having a meeting with the principal,"

"Riley's parents, James and Victoria, and Jane's parents, Felix and Heidi, and Maria's parents, Laurent and Irina, have you guys ever met them? I heard they're all in jail, and those kids live with Demetri,"

"I've never met them, and I hope I never do. You just ignore those kids, because you're special in your own way, and so are the rest of your friends," I said, finishing Alice's other braid and pulling at it lightly. She wrapped her arms around my waist and held on tight. "One time, Riley pulled my dress up and Emmett kicked his butt! I was laughing so hard!" Alice giggled.

"He's very protective, huh?"

"Yeah, but he likes Rosie, I can tell. No one likes me yet. I bet they all think I have cooties, because I look like a dumb two year old,"

"You do not!" I exclaimed. I picked her up in my arms and carried her downstairs, and I found Rosalie and Edward eating breakfast. Alice ate hers in the car while I drove Edward to his school first, and my last stop was the elementary school. I met up with Renee, and we led the kids in both of our classes into my room. I had already made the desks in a circle, so everyone could sit on the floor for the sing-along. I saw Jasper playing on the horse in a corner of the room, and Alice walked over to him with an impatient look on her face. It looked cute rather than mad, and I couldn't help but overhear them. Jasper got off the horse when he saw Alice.

"You've kept me waiting a long time," she griped, tapping her foot and then getting on the horse. "This is my horsy!"

"Sorry, ma'am," Jasper said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh yeah, you gots a mommy and daddy from Texas so you like to talk to me like that, and I like it! I like it a real lot. We're gonna be best friends," she said, holding his arm tightly.

"How do you know, darlin'?"

"I saw it in a dream! It was magical!"

"Can I get on the horse with you?"

"Yes!" I could've sworn Alice was blushing when Jasper got up and straddled the horse, directly on the back of Alice, holding her around her waist. I took a picture of them with my phone and sent it to mine and Charlotte's email, because it was too adorable to forget.

I had to stop the moment because it was time for a spelling contest. I nudged Renee to do it because I didn't want to deny my daughter's fun.

"Okay, guys…time for a spelling contest, then the sing-along!" she announced.

"YAY!" the kids shouted. Emmett stood close to Rosalie, and Jasper helped Alice off the horse and then linked his arm through hers.

"I like you," Alice said, twirling around and kissing Jasper on the cheek. He looked surprised at first, but then did it right back.

"You have a pretty dress. And also, you're pretty," Jasper complimented her. Her smile got impossibly wider.

"Fabulous," Emmett started. "Like Rosalie's hair is fabulous. F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S,"

"Awesome. Emmett is awesome. A-W-E-S-O-M-E," Rosalie shot back. It was turning into a real competition with those two!

"I got one!" Maggie piped up. "L-O-L-L-I-P-O-P!"

"C-O-W-B-O-Y," Alice said, winking at Jasper, er, winking the only way little kids were able to do.

"G-I-R-L-F-R-I-E-N-D," Jasper said, putting his arm around Alice's waist. Well, the kid was a charmer, I'd give him that.

"F-L-O-W-E-R," Alice smiled. "Give me one," she whispered to him. He gave her a thumbs up. "You don't got cooties, you know,"

"You got it, dude!" Alice said, giving him a thumbs up right back.

"B-U-T-T-E-R-F-L-Y," Rosalie spelled. "The prettiest insect on the planet,"

"F-O-O-T-B-A-L-L," Emmett added. "I love that sport!"

"S-O-L-D-I-E-R," Jasper stated proudly. "Like my toy soldiers!"

"S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G!" Alice cheered.

The rest of the kids were spelling words right and left, but it was clear that Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Maggie had won. Now, it was time for us to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

When the blazing sun is gone,

When there's nothing he shines upon,

Then you show your little light,

Twinkle, twinkle, through the night.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

In the dark blue sky so deep

Through my curtains often peep

For you never close your eyes

Til the morning sun does rise

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

How I wonder what you are

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

How I wonder what you are," the kids recited as if by heart. Renee and I started clapping for them.

"You guys are gonna do that for the Talent Show!" Renee said proudly. The children started jumping up and down.

"All right, looks like class is over," I said with a sigh. "I'll see you all in January! Bye!" The kids started filing out of the classroom and taking Christmas cookies that Renee and I had set out for them, with the exception of Alice and Rosalie. They took their cookies but stayed with us. Renee had to stay at the school since she helped out in Nessie's third grade class in the afternoons, but I took Alice and Rosalie home. They looked very happy, and I knew why. They were both in love.

**Read and review, please! You guys are doing so well! Next chapter: Carlisle's meeting with Mr. King! He acts like a fake, of course, but he seems mad that Rosalie isn't there!**


	31. Conference

Carlisle POV:

I was confused as to why the principal hadn't done anything to stop whatever was happening to my baby girl, and I had a determined expression on my face as I walked into the office, opened the door marked PRINCIPAL ROYCE KING and I cleared my throat to get the man's attention. He was facing the back wall, probably deep in thought, but he was startled when he saw me. I gave him a slight smile and he turned around and gestured for me to sit down across from his desk. He looked annoyed, maybe because I was bothering him, but I needed to get this taken care of!

"So, you're Rosalie's dad, huh?" he asked. "Welcome. I'm Royce King, Forks Elementary's principal," He reached out his hand, and I shook it firmly. He gave me a tight smile.

"Yup. Carlisle Cullen, sir. We talked over the phone earlier, and we arranged this meeting,"

"Yeah, I know. You wanted to talk about your daughter?"

"Yeah. How's she doing?"

"Wonderful. She's a brilliant student, she really shines here. She's my favorite student here. See, I put her pictures on the wall, because I want to show other students how to be like her. Her work is magnificent, and she is…cool,"

"Cool?"

"Yeah, a real teacher's pet…maybe that's why the kids bug her,"

I noticed that all the shots of her were close-ups.

"Yeah, who bothers her?"

"Oh, just Riley, Maria, and Jane, at lunch,"

"She said she never goes out at lunch…at least that's what my girlfriend said, and her friend said the same thing. They both work here, they would know,"

A panicked look crossed his face, and then he smiled. "She helps out here,"

"She does? What does she do?" I asked, pride surging through me for my little girl helping out at the office like a big girl. She really was growing up.

"Well, the aides help her file papers, take permission slips to and from the office, and she sometimes puts books and magazines away in the library, and she takes other students' photos for the yearbook. She's very useful to us. She's also a joy to have around. We love talking to her, and she loves talking with us. All in all, she's a pretty fun girl to be around,"

"Well, that's all good…but what are you gonna do about whatever's bothering her? She's been having nightmares since the beginning of the school year, and my girlfriend's daughter had a dream of someone chasing them down a hall…"

"Kids these days…" he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "They always have nightmares. It's one of the characteristics of small children. When they grow up, they stop having them. Monsters under the bed don't exist, doesn't she know that?"

"Well, she's still little…and she didn't call it a monster. She called it a 'he' and there was clearly a person yelling in both their dreams, the person was yelling at and chasing my girlfriend, her daughter, and my daughter. I'm hoping it was just something in her imagination, but I'm not so sure. My girlfriend's daughter is slightly psychic…her dreams seem to come true most of the time,"

"There is no such thing as being psychic,"

"Yeah, I know, but it might be woman's intuition,"

"Let me tell you something about children. They always have nightmares. They always go through phases. They are not smart enough to understand that a dream or a nightmare is simply a thought that is stuck in their mind when they go to bed at night. And a parent's job is to comfort them and tell them it was only a dream, it wasn't real. I don't believe your girlfriend's daughter's predictions are actually going to come true, because there is no one after your girlfriend and the little ones. I can assure you, no one is out to get them. They are perfectly safe, especially at this school. And I'll have the yard duty teacher out there to watch and make sure the kids behave themselves, and don't tease each other,"

"All right. Thank you," I said, shaking his hand. He just nodded quickly and showed me the door. I got my briefcase and walked back to my car. I drove straight home and found Esme on the couch with Alice and Rosalie curled up by her sides.

"Hello, ladies," I said, kissing them each the forehead, and kissing Esme on the lips. She smiled against my lips.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"He said Rosalie helps out in the office and the library, and he says she's a model for the other students. He even has her pictures posted up on his wall, and she's his favorite student. I'm so proud of you, Rose, your principal loves you!"

Rosalie's eyes went big and she scrambled out of the room, pulling Alice along with her.

"Don't take it literally, honey!" I called up the stairs. "You're his favorite student!"

"Well, that was nice of him to say. What did he say about the people bothering her? Alice told me who was bothering them at lunch, just some stupid kids who don't know when to keep their big mouths shut," Esme said, shrugging.

"He said he'd assign a teacher for yard duty, and that kids always have nightmares and go through phases. We have to tell them it's only a dream. He didn't believe that anyone was after you or Alice or Rosalie,"

"Well, I've always trusted Alice…it's like she's got a sixth sense,"

"I'm starting to also…and the principal seems weird. He's got head shots of only Rosalie, no other students, maybe she's the only one who works there,"

"Yeah, maybe. But let's deal with this when we come back. Maybe she'll be better after a long break from school," Esme said, pulling my face in towards hers for a kiss. I kissed her back gently, and then we really went at it, until Edward came home, having a ride from Renee and Bella.

"Gross! Mom, Dad!" he interrupted us.

"Sorry, son," we both said, and then laughed and hugged him. He did his homework, we had dinner, and Esme and I went up to get the girls, only to hear them talking again.

"He got way too close," Rosalie was saying.

"Don't worry-" I stopped Alice from talking when I opened the door, sharing a puzzled look with Esme. "Oh, hi, Mommy and Carlisle," she said innocently. Rosalie simply waved at us.

"Who got too close?" I asked.

"Um…that stupid Riley almost pulled my dress up again! And Rosie wanted to beat him up, but Jasper did it instead," Alice explained quickly. Well, I could believe that.

"Why don't you report it to the principal?" Esme asked.

"I dunno," Alice said, shrugging. "I did, but Riley won't listen. He's a butt-face!"

"All right, you just ignore those kids, and enjoy the rest of Winter Break!" Esme said happily, and the girls cheered and jumped into our arms.

"Daddy, why did you talk to the principal?" Rosalie asked quietly. Her voice was shaking. "I don't want Alice to get hurt by Riley again,"

"I wanted him to know what was going on, and now that he's aware, he'll make sure you and Alice are safe from those kids. It's nice to hear you're helping out in there,"

"Yeah, I'm his favorite," she said half proudly.

"That's awesome, sweetheart,"

She buried her face into my shoulder and held onto me tightly. I could feel tears getting my collar wet.

Rosalie was crying.

**So I cried a little at the end of this chapter…read and review, please! It gets happier in the next few chapters with Christmas and Disneyland…then the drama starts again!**


	32. Christmas Surprises

Rosalie POV:

I couldn't believe my daddy was in the same room as the man who ruined my life and my body, and he didn't even suspect anything! I heard a small voice beside me whimpering for her mommy.

"Rosie, I can't sleep," Alice sniffled.

"Me neither, I'm too scared. I don't want to see him anywhere!"

Alice started getting out of bed, but she didn't open her eyes. I held onto her hand as we walked to Daddy and Esme's bedroom. The door creaked when I opened it, and I jumped.

"Daddy?" I whispered through the darkness.

"Mommy," Alice sobbed. "Mommy, help us,"

Daddy and Esme sat up in their bed, rubbing their eyes. They separated and patted the middle space in the bed, and we jumped into the bed.

"I can't sleep alone, and neither can Ali," I said as my daddy combed my hair with his fingers.

"Baby, you were sleepwalking," Esme was saying to Alice. "Are you okay now?"

"Yes, Mommy, with you, I am," She held onto Esme's arm and curled into her side. I did the same with Daddy, and I knew we were both safe with our parents holding us.

Alice POV:

I realized something as we woke up in my mommy's and Rosalie's daddy's arms-it was Christmas! And we didn't have anymore nightmares! I shook Rosalie awake slightly and she rubbed her eyes opened and groaned. I helped her up and we started jumping on the bed.

"Mommy! Carlisle! Get up!" I instructed.

"Daddy! Esme! It's Christmastime!" Rosalie added. We both fell back on our spot, giggling.

"Mmmmm," Mommy moaned and rolled over in her sleep.

"It's too early," Carlisle muttered.

"We want presents!" Rosalie demanded. "Wake up!" She shook our parents awake.

"All right, all right," Carlisle sighed sitting up in bed. He kissed my mommy and she woke up, smiling.

"Hi, girls,"

"HI!" we shouted.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" I yelled, bursting everyone's eardrums. "UP AND AT 'EM!"

"Alice, sweetie, calm down," Mommy said, tickling me. I fell into her arms and tried to tickle her, but she squealed and started kissing my tummy while tickling it. I couldn't stop laughing. Carlisle lifted Rosalie up high over his head and she kicked and screamed. After all our noise, Edward came in all grumpy and said we woke him up.

"Lighten up, dude! It's Christmas," I said, sticking my tongue out at him. I bounced out of bed and ran to the foot of the stairs. "WHOA! LOOK AT ALL THESE PRESENTS!"

"I really hope Santa ate all the cookies," Edward muttered.

"Shut up, Scrooge," I said, kicking his leg.

"Don't give her coffee, please, Mom," he begged. I rolled my eyes. "Squirt, you can't have coffee,"

"Edward…be nice to your sister," Mommy scolded him. "And Alice, please, he's just tired. He likes Christmas, but it's a little early. I know you girls are kids and want to get up early, but Edward wants to get up at eight. Mommy and Carlisle wanted that too, but it's fine, since we never had a Christmas before,"

Carlisle joined Mommy on the foot of the stairs and took her hand. They walked down first, and we followed. Edward had a tight hold on mine and Rosalie's hands, but all we really wanted to do was dive into the presents! Mommy and Carlisle let us go first, and we got toys, dolls, clothes, and a Wii! It was everything we wanted! Most of it was from Santa, but the Wii was from our parents!

"Thanks, Daddy!" Rosalie said, opening a big dollhouse that he made. It was addressed to me too, and Mommy said she helped him make it.

"Thanks, Mommy!" I said, hugging her around the waist. Then, I hugged Carlisle around the waist and thanked him too.

We got Carlisle nice shirts and ties and we got Mommy pretty dresses and jewelry. They hugged us a lot and thanked us for our presents. Edward got cool gifts too. Then, Carlisle had a surprise for Mommy, and he told us to wait.

Esme POV:

The kids were so adorable, the way they woke us up, and they just ripped and tore into those presents like there was no tomorrow! They'd get the true meaning of Christmas soon enough. It was all about hanging out with your family, and I was happy doing so. Sure, gifts were fine, but my son, my daughters, and my boyfriend meant so much more to me.

Carlisle was looking good in a suit as he helped me off the chair and kissed my knuckles. I gasped as he bent down on one knee.

"OOOOH!" Alice and Rosalie both shouted, clapping their hands. Edward put a finger to his lips to shut them up.

Carlisle pulled out a black box, and the waterworks started. I'd always wanted to marry him, and today was the day!

"Esme Anne Platt, I promise to love and cherish you every moment of eternity. I've wanted you to be my wife ever since I met you in that bar thirteen years ago. Would you do the great honor of being my wife?"

"I do! I would love to marry you! I've dreamed of this day forever!" I shouted, throwing my arms around him. He spun me around, held me close and kissed me deeply. Everything around me was gone, and I could only see him.

"When's the wedding?" Alice asked, breaking our kiss.

"When do you want it to be, honey?" Carlisle asked, looking straight at me.

"The most romantic day of the year," I said as he slipped the ring over the third finger of my left hand. It was beautiful.

"Valentine's Day sounds absolutely perfect!" he exclaimed, and everyone cheered.

"Can I be a flower girl?" Rosalie asked.

"You both can be flower girls," I said, smiling. "And the girls will be my bridesmaids,"

"Good thing we have two months to plan it all," Carlisle said, grinning. I couldn't stop staring at my engagement ring. Now, he was my fiancee, no longer my boyfriend. That felt great to say! He twirled me around and around in his arms to the Christmas music that was softly playing in the background.

Carlisle came in my room dressed as Santa Claus, and I got in his lap and started kissing him. The cutest thing about it was that Alice came in and screeched, "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus!"

Rosalie giggled. "No, that's just my daddy!"

It was the best Christmas ever!

**Read and review, please! Next chapter…Disneyland!**


	33. The Happiest Place on Earth

Bella POV:

"We're going to Disneyland for Winter Break?" I asked Mom incredulously. "But that's for kids!"

"Well, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper really wanted to go, and Esme and Carlisle would be there to care for them, and that means you, me, and Charlie have to go too. Besides, Edward would be there too, and how fun would it be to go on all the rides with him?"

"We're too big for those rides!" I complained.

"Not really, they're for adults, okay? Now no more complaining, go ride your bike,"

The doorbell rang, and there was Edward on his new bike. We kissed.

"A whole two weeks with you…" he said into my ear, making my knees go weak. "Mom gave me a noogie when I complained about it at first,"

Maybe Disneyland wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Yeah," I whispered back huskily.

Esme POV:

I put the girls' hair into pigtails and got them all ready for our flight to Disneyland in California. They were so excited, because one, they were going to the 'happiest place on Earth' and two, because they were going with their 'boyfriends'. Carlisle and I didn't want to believe they had boyfriends at this young age, but they did. Before we knew it, they'd be having-oh, God no, I wouldn't think about that.

"Does anyone have to go to the bathroom?" I asked.

"No," everyone chorused.

Once we got to the airport, Alice piped up with, "I gotta go potty!" so naturally, everyone had to go. I sighed and took the girls to the bathroom, and Carlisle took the boys. The flight was six hours of Carlisle and I cuddling, Renee and Charlie talking quietly, Bella and Edward watching movies together, and the kids all sleeping against each other. It was really cute to watch.

We checked into our hotel around dinnertime and then went out to eat Mexican food. It was very nice, and we decided to do this every night. The next day was even more fun, because we got to ride Space Mountain, my first roller coaster in my life.

"You've never been on a ride in your life?" Carlisle asked as I held his hand tightly.

"Nope,"

"Then you're in for a big surprise!" he said as the ride started. I heard the kids getting excited in front of us, and I let out a scream of exhilaration.

"You're right! This is fun!" I shouted.

There was the Ferris wheel and Splash Mountain, Dumbo, Haunted Mansion, and other fun rides, and the kids were all soaking and shook most of it on us. They ate lots of ice cream, because most of them spilled the first scoop on the street. At the Haunted Mansion, the girls got a little freaked out by the theme song, Grim Grinning Ghosts, so we had to never go to that attraction again.

There was also a parade with Disney characters, singing "Walking Down the Middle of Main Street U.S.A"., and because of Emmett seeing Prince Charming and Rosalie seeing Cinderella, all of us were pulled into it, even the adults and Bella and Edward. Rosalie and Alice got Cinderella and Snow White's autograph and hugged each of them. Rosalie said she liked Cinderella the most because she looked a lot like her, and Alice like Snow White the most because they resembled each other, and she also looked like me. Renee agreed, saying looking at me was like seeing Snow White in the flesh. That was a compliment, and I beamed. Emmett and Jasper liked Prince Charming, because they were the boyfriends of Snow White and Cinderella, A.K.A. Alice and Rosalie. Edward and Bella spent most of their day on the Ferris wheel or eating hot dogs, and at night, they lay under the stars until it was too cold to stay out anymore. It was more of a romantic vacation for them. For us, it was a present for the kids, and we were happy to give it to them. By the end of the day, we were all tired but we were laughing.

"Good night, my beautiful Snow White," Carlisle said, kissing my lips.

"That rhymes, handsome, and are you gonna pick me up on a white horse and save me from the huntsman?"

"I already did, darling. We have our own fairytale, you know,"

"Yes," I gasped as he gently pushed me on the bed and started kissing me all over.

"And the kids are getting along," he commented as we listened to music playing and the kids talking. I pulled my shirt back down from where it had ridden up and checked outside. Emmett was dancing with Rosalie while Alice and Jasper were just talking.

"Do you think I look like Cinderella?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes, and do you think I look like Prince Charming?" Emmett responded.

"Yes! I'm glad we're married!"

"Me too!"

Carlisle and I exchanged a glance. "When did they get married?" Carlisle asked me.

"Beats me," I said, and Renee started laughing.

"They got married when I babysat them," We both laughed along with her and Charlie.

"No, I'm Prince Charming, like my mommy says! I'm a little soldier, too, she says! So I'm Snow White's husband, because Alice looks like Snow White!" Jasper argued.

"I can't help it if there's more than one Prince Charmings!" Emmett shot back.

"Emmett! Jasper! Cut it out!" Renee exclaimed, pulling them off each other. Alice and Rosalie were just giggling because their boys were being strong.

"Girls, it's time for bed anyway," I said, making them whine. "Come on," They got in bed with Carlisle and I again, because they were worried they'd have nightmares of that scary song, and Rosalie kept saying their principal looked like Captain Hook.

"I know it's just a man in a costume," Carlisle whispered to me, "But their principal really _does_ look like that, dark eyebrows, hair, and mustache,"

"Yeah, but still, we'll protect our little ones from the 'spooky villains'," I joked and pulled our girls close to my sides.

The rest of the vacation went great, and the girls stopped having nightmares for a while, because they were having fun here with us. That was a good sign.

But I was never prepared for the reaction when they found out we were going back home. They threw tantrums, but we told them we'd be back in the spring, for spring break.

Oh yeah, the Magic Kingdom was a blast.

**Read and review, please! Drama starts next chapter…at least foreshadowing does! **


	34. Discomfort

**This scene switches back and forth, from the IEP and back to the girls.**

Rosalie POV:

"Ok, this makes me sound like a bad teacher…" Auntie Renee started to Esme as they walked back into Daddy and Esme's house together. "…but I'm gonna be out the first day back, because I have to attend Nessie's IEP. So, the principal's subbing for me,"

"Oh, Renee, don't blame yourself, it's just that Carmen, the speech teacher, and Mrs. Stanley planned it that way. That's nice of the principal to help out," Esme answered. I just gaped at them in shock. Oh no, this couldn't be happening! I tried to pretend nothing was wrong, and said, "Alice, did you have a great time at Disneyland?"

"Yes, I did! Did you?"

"Yes!" We lugged our bags upstairs and we sat on my bed, well, now our bed.

"Alice, I'm worried about tomorrow! Auntie Renee's not our teacher tomorrow, Mr. King is subbing, and you know what that means! More time with him!" I pretended to throw up in my hands and she made a disgusted face.

"Don't worry. Mommy will protect us," she said, brightening up.

Luckily, Auntie Renee was there for a few minutes before Mr. King came striding in like he owned the place. Well, he sort of did, but he was wrong in the way he treated me.

"Okay, class…I'm gonna be out until noon, because I'll be at an IEP, and Mr. King was nice enough to substitute for our class. So, I'll see you all tomorrow!"

"Bye, Mrs. Swan," we said in unison.

I gave her a longing look, but she missed it. I had to fight the urge to run after her out of the classroom, and instead, I held onto Alice's hand and never let it go.

"Hey, guys!" he said in a fake cheery voice that gave me a chill from the back of my neck to the bottoms of my feet. "You may call me Royce. I'm not a regular principal, I'm a cool principal,"

His eyes were fixed on mine, and I squirmed on my spot on the floor next to Alice. She squeezed my hand in support.

He started to call roll, and I timidly raised my hand but kept my eyes down when he called my name. Alice did the same thing.

"Let me see those beautiful eyes, Rosie," he said in a teasing tone. To any other person, it would've seemed perfectly fine, but to me, it gave me the creeps.

Renee POV:

I took my seat between Carmen and Nessie and waited for her speech teacher, Karen Newton, the other aide, Clara Crowley, and her third grade teacher, Mrs. Stanley to come in. For some reason, I felt doubtful, but I knew everything at the IEP was going to be fine. Eleazar sat on the other side of Carmen, and later, Mrs. Stanley and Mrs. Newton came in the room. We were ready to begin. We started with introductions.

Mrs. Newton, who was also her counselor, shuffled the papers. "Karen Newton, Speech and Language Pathologist,"

"Jennifer Stanley, General Education Teacher,"

"Clara Crowley, Morning Instructional 1:1 Aide,"

"Renee Swan, Afternoon Instructional 1:1 Aide," I introduced myself.

"Carmen Weber, the subject's mother,"

"Eleazar Weber, the subject's father,"

"And me?" Nessie asked, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm just the kid," Everyone laughed at that, including Nessie. She was so cute.

"All right, let's get this party started," Carmen said, rubbing her hands together and looking at me with a devious look in her eyes. I returned the look. We both hated some of these stuck-up professionals trying to make Nessie a person she wasn't and thinking she didn't want to, when it was actually part of her disability, and she couldn't. Also, Jennifer's daughter was stupid, according to Bella, and Karen Newton's son was a big gossip, and my best friend's son hated him. Clara Crowley just didn't understand Nessie, which made Carmen really mad.

Alice POV:

I could tell Rosalie was afraid, because her hand was trembling in mine, even though Mr. King was nowhere near us. But his gaze was on both of us, not just her. She was blinking her eyes really fast and trying not to cry. I was thinking of our escape, when he called our names.

"Alice, Rosalie, my lovely ladies, come on up," he said, grinning a sick grin. "Sing a song that you learned from Mrs. Swan for us,"

"I can't do it," Rosalie whispered, gripping my hand so tight that it hurt.

"I'll help you," I whispered back and then helped her up. She took shaky steps to the front of the room, and I stood next to Mr. King so she wouldn't have to, but just as I predicted, he moved to the other side of us, so he'd be next to her.

"Breathe," I whispered.

She was biting her lower lip so hard that I thought I saw blood.

"Girls, sing 'Twist and Shout'. Renee said she taught you that a few weeks ago,"

"Well, shake it up, baby, now," I started, and nudged Rosalie.

"S-shake it up, b-baby," she said, her voice cracking. "I-I'm sorry, I-I c-can't,"

"Twist and shout," Mr. King continued, moving his body towards hers, while I subtly pulled her away from him while singing. "Twist and shout,"

"Cmon cmon, cmon, cmon, baby, now," He was following us now.

"Come on, baby," I sang, while shielding Rosalie from his attempts. I made a motion for Maggie to come up and distract him.

"Come on and work it on out," he belted.

"Work it on out," Maggie echoed, but he still looked at us when we went to the back of the room. I took off my sweater and wiped Rosalie's tears away with it.

"We have to get out of here!" she said lowly through her tears. "I can't take it anymore,"

A shiver went down my spine as I felt him looking at me too. "Yeah, me neither. Let's find my mommy,"

We escaped by bolting out the back of the door while he was busy singing with the rest of our classmates.

**Read and review, please! Up next: The run-in with Esme and the IEP really heats up!**


	35. Pressure

**Once again, the scenes switch around...**

Renee POV:

"Let's start with the reports…me first," Mrs. Newton murmured.

"Okay…" I agreed, sharing another look with Carmen.

"So…Nessie refrains from working with peers, she is in constant need to talk with adults, especially her 1:1 Aide in the afternoon, Mrs. Swan. She likes listening to classical music rather than children's songs, she does not like loud noises, and she says the kids make fun of her, and call her a retard. She is constantly with Mrs. Swan at lunch,"

Carmen raised her hand calmly, but I knew her blood was boiling. "The kids do make fun of her, she comes home crying about that to me every day, and her only friend here is one of my best friends, Renee Swan, who just so happens to be her aide. Nessie was telling me the other day that she'd rather be in Ms. Platt's second grade class, because the kids in her class are more accepting of Nessie, and so is Ms. Platt. Never mind the fact that Mrs. Swan is best friends with Ms. Platt, but clearly, Mrs. Newton has no clear understanding of our daughter," she pointed to both herself and Eleazar, "and I'd like to see what Mrs. Crowley and Mrs. Stanley have to say,"

Karen rolled her eyes, and I put my hand under the table so I could slap Carmen's palm with mine.

"Okay, so I think she'd be better off in a second grade classroom, because the kids in my class are too smart for her. But the problem with putting her in Ms. Platt's class is that she's too nice and she'll let Nessie follow her around like her own personal stalker!" Mrs. Stanley reported.

"Esme is not a pushover!" I argued, standing up and banging the table. "Stop talking about my best friend that way!"

"This isn't about you, Renee. This is about Nessie and her accommodations! We're trying to get her out of her comfort zone!" Mrs. Crowley squawked.

"Honestly, I don't know why he hired her to work here," I heard Karen whisper to Jennifer.

"Do you wanna get cut, bitch?" Carmen shouted, and Eleazar pulled her back down in her seat.

"Down, chica," Eleazar said gently.

"Anyway…why would Nessie need to sit at the front of the board? She hears fine, she sees fine…" Mrs. Stanley continued. "And more time on tests…do you have ADD or something?"

"I just do, okay, Mrs. Stanley? And those kids talk too much in the back row! I'd never do that, that's why I never go to detention. And yes, I would love more time on tests, because I'm slow! I'm slow and stupid!" she cried and got up to leave the room. Carmen hugged her around the waist and brought her back to sit down while glaring at Mrs. Stanley.

"Shame on you," Carmen mouthed to Jennifer. "But you need friends," Carmen said quietly to her daughter.

"Pero mamá, por favor! Los niños no les gusta pasar el tiempo conmigo! Ellos piensan que soy rare!" Nessie shot back in fast Spanish that made them all bewildered. I knew she was saying the kids didn't like her because they thought she was weird. I knew Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Maggie, and Jasper didn't mind her, though.

"Cariña, por favor, estar en silencio y escuchar a los mismos. Podemos hablar de esto en cassia," Carmen replied. She was telling Nessie they'd talk about this later, and Nessie nodded in agreement.

"Maybe she communicates with her teachers rather than her peers because they don't call her names. And I know some of her friends-Emmett, my son, and Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, and Maggie," I put in.

"They are not her age," Mrs. Newton explained.

"Has it ever occurred to you that she has the mental capacity of a five year old?" Eleazar asked.

"Dad!" Nessie whined. "You're embarrassing me! I don't act five!"

"Think about it, mija. You get along with those three five year old girls just fine, and you're smart enough to hang out with Emmett and Jasper, which makes you able to be in a second grade class. Ms. Platt is a lot of fun,"

"Yeah, I know…I'd rather be in Ms. Platt's class. I'd have more friends. Ms. Platt would never allow that nasty word to be used in her classroom,"

That worked out just fine for me, Eleazar, and Carmen, and Esme would be happy too. The three losers just signed the IEP without argument, because they now knew that Carmen and I had hot tempers which couldn't be messed with, when you messed with our family or friends. We stuck together like glue.

Esme POV:

"So, if I had a whole pie with eight slices, and I took a fourth, how many slices would I have left?" I asked my class, and Jasper raised his hand. Smart kid.

"Six!"

"Yes, that's right, does everyone agree?"

"Yes!" they chorused. Right at that moment, Rosalie and Alice came barreling into my classroom like bulls in a china shop. Emmett and Jasper shot them worried glances, and I knelt down to their levels.

"What's wrong, girls?" I asked, giving them a hug. I saw fear in their eyes, but Alice replied, "Nothing, Mommy,"

Rosalie couldn't speak. She only held onto my wrists for dear life, and Alice kept flickering her eyes from me to behind her, as if she were expecting something.

"Something is wrong, otherwise you wouldn't have come in like this," I said, wiping away a tear that had escaped Rosalie's eye. "Tell me, honey. Is it because Renee's not there? I know subs are hard to get used to, but it's not worth crying over. She'll be back tomorrow,"

Suddenly, Alice's eyes widened and Rosalie's hands gripped my wrists tighter than before, so hard that it actually hurt. Her little handprints indented themselves into my skin, and I gently shook them free, mouthing "Ow," as I did so.

"Problem, ladies?" a gruff voice asked, making me nearly jump out of my skin. I put my hand to my heart and looked up at a man. "Oh, god, sorry, just had a fright," I said, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart. "Nearly had a heart attack," I murmured to myself.

Alice and Rosalie crawled to the back of the room for some reason.

"Let me help you up," the man said, offering his hand. I took it with both my hands and he pulled me up to my feet. Then, he kissed my hands and said, "Enchanté," as the kids wrinkled their noses and widened their eyes. "Eeeeeew!" they said in unison. I pulled my hands back, sort of disgusted that a complete stranger would do that to me, and wiped them on the back of my jeans.

"What's your name? I'm Royce King, principal of Forks Elementary," he said, reaching his hand out to mine to shake it.

Reluctantly, I took his sweaty hand again. "Esme Platt, second grade teacher. I just started,"

"Are you busy tonight?"

"Sorry, I'm engaged," I said, throwing him an apologetic glance.

"You're way too beautiful to be engaged. Is Alice your kid?"

"Yes, she's so lovely,"

"Hot mama! What's a pretty young thang like you doin' with kids?"

I hit his arm lightly. "You flirt! Well, I better get back to teaching. Bye," I waved as he started to go. He pulled me into his arms and leaned his lips towards mine, but I pushed him out the door and locked it, breathing hard. That was a close one.

Well, if the boss made a pass at one of his co-workers, then who could I tell? It wasn't exactly illegal, so I'd just have to stay far away from him as possible. Alice said we had to go home at lunch, and I agreed with her for once. Renee substituted for the last half of the day, and I spent the rest of the day with the girls.

**Read and review, please! Next chapter…Lily stirs up trouble, that's all I'm gonna say!**


	36. Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Esme POV:

A woman named Lily with long blonde hair started talking to me in the ladies' room, and we found out we had many things in common-we were both shopaholics, we both had struggles in our life, and we both had children. She wouldn't say who hers were, but I told her mine were Alice, Rosalie, and Edward, and my fiancee was Carlisle.

"Have you ever hated a man?" she asked.

"Yes! Charles Evenson, my ex. If you could call him a man. He was just too pushy to have sex with me, and I hated the way he treated my kids, like they were flies on the wall- and he never treated me right-he called me names and stuff…" I trailed off, not wanting to remember the memories.

"Oh, I have to run! But I'm sorry to hear that," she said, getting out of the bathroom right away. "Check your Facebook page,"

Carlisle POV:

The doorbell rang, and I came face-to-face with my ex-wife. Lily was standing outside our front door, so I had to let her in.

"Hey, hottie," she giggled, starting to kiss me, but I jerked away.

"You broke up with me, remember? You know, you're the most despicable woman I've ever seen, and I never want to see you again! You cheated on me and made me feel like shit! I've got a woman who treats me much better than you did, and we're getting married next February!"

"She's cheating on you, baby. She told me herself in the bathroom. Just listen to this message,"

_He was too pushy to have sex with me. _

"She could have told me, but that doesn't say she's cheating. I don't trust you, Lily,"

"Whatever," she said, and walked away. "But check your Facebook page,"

I found a long message from Esme explaining why she wanted to break up with me, and I was afraid Lily was right. Never in a million years did I believe that Esme would break my heart, but she did. I'd gotten home late from the hospital to find my fiancee straddling some other guy's hips, and she was really going for it. I clenched my fists in anger and pulled him out from under her, while turning on the light to glare at Esme.

"Oh! Carlisle, I swear, I thought that was you…I'm so sorry,"

"Don't you lie to me. You think I'm too pushy for sex! You should have told me!"

"I'm not lying!"

"I read that message you sent me on Facebook,"

"I didn't even know you had a Facebook!"

I sighed sharply. "I'm going to bed now. Don't join me,"

I heard her sobbing as she went to sleep on the couch, but I felt no guilt. She hurt my feelings badly.

Esme POV:

_You're the most despicable woman I've ever seen, and I never want to see you again! You cheated on me and made me feel like shit! I've got a woman who treats me much better than you did._

My heart was crushed as I heard that message on my phone. I couldn't blame him, but really, I thought that guy was Carlisle! I couldn't believe I'd fucked a complete stranger! Someone was playing with us, but I didn't know who. I opened up my email to find a video Lily sent me. It was titled 'What he did to me', and I pressed play. I was horrified to watch Carlisle punch Lily in the face and throw her down some stairs while she cried, just like Charles did to me, and I decided to leave and never come back. I never dreamt he was like Charles, but now that I saw proof, I believed her. Under the attachment, it said, "He lost his temper with me!"

I heard him opening the door and was instantly terrified. He put his arms around my waist, and I saw that he'd already taken off his ring and put a new one on.

"Where's your ring?" I asked him.

"It's right…wait a second, my ex-wife gave me the ring her new husband gave her," he muttered, pulling it off his finger.

"Get your filthy hands off me, you wife beater," I said, pulling his hands off my waist and stepping back from him.

"I'd never raise my hand to a woman! What did I do?"

"You know perfectly well what you did! A real man would admit his mistakes and never do it again! Stop lying to me!"

"Esme, I don't know what I did, but I recall that _you_ cheated on _me_!"

"You _fucking_-you just lost your second chance! The wedding is off. And here's your cheap ring, you lying, cheating bastard!" I slapped it into his palm and stalked off to find my children to take them out of here.

"Alice, Edward, pack your stuff, we're leaving," I said through my heartbroken tears.

"Why, Mommy?" Alice asked.

"Carlisle cheated on me and beat up a woman," I explained.

"He would never do that, Esme!" Rosalie exclaimed.

"See for yourself," I stated, showing her the video on my iTouch. She gasped and started yelling at her daddy. Alice and Rosalie were both crying, and I couldn't blame them. Edward just wanted to punch Carlisle's lights out.

Later, I saw him kissing Lily, just when I was going to give him a chance to explain. "Well, I was gonna let you explain, but I guess you already did!" I shouted at him, walking fast and far away from them. I would no longer embarrass myself in front of him. Lily pushed him off of her. "You idiot!" I glanced back at him for a second and flipped him off.

"Esme! Esme!" Carlisle was yelling behind me. He trapped me between himself and the wall.

"What?" I snapped.

"Would you mind explaining why you were cheating on me?"

"I don't need to. You should just believe me, because you love me so much,"

"Well, if you feel that way, maybe I'll just leave," he muttered, turning away from me and walking away.

"No, wait! Carlisle, please!" I begged, feeling tears roll down my cheeks again.

"Too late, Esme," I heard him say as he left the building. "It's over,"

**Read and review, please! Who do you think is to blame? 88 so far, let's try for a hundred! I'm so excited!**


	37. Simple Misunderstanding

Carlisle POV:

I heard Esme's sweet voice singing to me outside the door, but I still wouldn't let her in. She needed to apologize for cheating on me and then promise never to do it again.

"(Ooh, ooh, sweet love, yeah)

I didn't mean it when I said I didn't love you so

I should've held on tight, I never should've let you go

I didn't know nothing, I was stupid, I was foolish

I was lying to myself

I could not fathom I would ever be without your love

Never imagined I'd be sitting here beside myself

'Cause I didn't know you, 'cause I didn't know me

But I thought I knew everything

I never felt

The feeling that I'm feeling now that I don't hear your voice

Or have your touch and kiss your lips 'cause I don't have a choice

Oh, what I wouldn't give to have you lying by my side

Right here, 'cause baby

(We belong together)

When you left I lost a part of me (Together)

It's still so hard to believe

(Come back, come back)

Come back baby, please

(Come back, come back)

'Cause we belong together

Who else am I gon' lean on when times get rough (Ooooooh yeah)

Who's gonna talk to me on the phone till the sun comes up (Oooooh yeah)

Who's gonna take your place, there ain't nobody better (Oooooooh yeah)

Oh, baby baby, we belong together

I can't sleep at night when you are on my mind

Bobby Womack's on the radio saying to me:

"If you think you're lonely now"

Wait a minute this is too deep (too deep)

I gotta change the station so I turn the dial

Trying to catch a break and then I hear Babyface

I only think of you and it's breaking my heart

I'm trying to keep it together but I'm falling apart

I'm feeling all out of my element

I'm throwing things, crying

Trying to figure out where the hell I went wrong

The pain inflicted in this song ain't even half of what I'm feeling inside

I need you, need you back in my life, baby

(We belong together)

When you left I lost a part of me (Together)

It's still so hard to believe

(Come back, come back)

Come back baby, please

(Come back, come back)

'Cause we belong together

Who else am I gon' lean on when times get rough (Ooooooh yeah)

Who's gonna talk to me on the phone till the sun comes up (Oooooh yeah)

Who's gonna take your place, there ain't nobody better (Oooooooh yeah)

Oh, baby baby, we belong together baby! (We belong together)

When you left I lost a part of me (Together)

(Oooooooh yeah)

It's still so hard to believe

(Come back, come back)

Come back baby, please (Oooooooh yeah)

(Come back, come back)

'Cause we belong together

Who else am I gon' lean on when times get rough (Ooooooh yeah)

Who's gonna talk to me till the sun comes up (Ooooooh yeah)

Who's gonna take your place, there ain't nobody better (Oooooooh yeah)

Oh, baby baby, we belong together!

Ooooooh yeah

Ooooooh yeah

Ooooooh yeah

We belong together,"

I sighed and opened the door. "Thank you. But I was never with Lily. She kissed me!"

"Then why did she tell you to get off of her?"

"She was trying to make you believe that I was cheating on you! And what are you talking about, me being a wife beater?" We were raising our voices, but trying to talk things through.

"I saw a video, here," She flipped through her iTouch and tapped something. It was an email from Lily, who Esme had made friends with, apparently.

"But I didn't even see her yesterday, I swear! I was doing exercise, and that is clearly makeup and fake tears on Lily, if you just zoom in on the picture she took of herself," Esme looked closely, and her eyes widened in disbelief. "Swear to God, she fell down the stairs on purpose to try to break us up! And I bet she made you a fake profile and sent me that message too, and she had a tape recorder,"

"Yeah, it's kinda running down her face," she commented. "Her black eye doesn't really look like a black eye. And she's walking to the door right now with nothing wrong with her face. Oh, and by the way, that thing about being pushy for sex was about Charles, not you,"

"Hello, Carlisle," Lily said in a sugary voice, but I wasn't buying it. "I recorded what Esme said about you,"

"No, you recorded what she said about Charles, and you recorded what I said to you! You just want me because someone else has me, and you can't stand the thought of another woman having me!"

"How dare you try to break us up!" Esme screamed in Lily's face, slamming her into the wall. "You bitch!" She grabbed Lily's hair and pounded her face into the wall. "Carlisle may have not beaten you up, but I sure can, you filthy whore! You tricked us both!" Then, she punched Lily in the nose and in the eyes. "Now, you're really banged up!"

"I thought we were friends!" Lily cried. "And believe me, that guy you fucked was hot, he had to be, because I hired him!"

"Not anymore, you piece of trash! Get the fuck out!"

"He was my husband!"

"You cheated on him, and you lost him! Good riddance,"

"Charles was so much better than him! He called a book trash, and I agree completely! He also mentioned you,"

"I wish he beat you to a pulp!" Esme screamed.

"Lily, I can't believe I fell for your stupid tricks!" I shouted, pushing her out the door. She stumbled out, never to be seen again.

"Oh, boy," Esme breathed out, sitting on the stairs. I sat down next to her and put the ring on her finger again.

"The wedding's still on," I said, smiling and giving her a big hug. "I'm sorry she caused this drama, sweetheart,"

"It's quite alright. I took care of it," She kissed me softly on the lips. "And you're very gentle with me when we have sex,"

"I thought so, baby,"

The doorbell rang again, and I heard my daughter running down the steps.

"Oh dear, we've almost forgotten about the children during this whole mess!" Esme worried. She got up to open the door, still holding my hand.

It was Alice and Edward.

"Mom, are you ready to go?"

"We're staying here, babies. It was just a simple misunderstanding that Carlisle's ex-wife caused,"

"I hate that lady!" Rosalie complained. "She tried to take me away, but I wouldn't let her!"

"She's a little twit!" Alice giggled. Esme gave her a stern look. "What? I heard that in Matilda,"

"Yeah, I agree with you, sweetie," she said, picking up Alice and hugging Edward. Rosalie hugged us both around the waist.

"I'm glad you guys are back together and that love-ruiner is gone forever!" she cheered.

Later, we found out Lily was in jail because she'd been having an affair with Charles, and she was the last one in the house, which made police assume she was the one who killed him. Esme was so happy that no one blamed her, and Lily was in jail. She was in for life, because of murder, and she couldn't say anyone else killed him, because she didn't know who else killed him. Esme hated her so much that she didn't feel an ounce of guilt for Lily, because she deserved it, because she tried to break up a perfect couple.


	38. Figuring it Out

Rosalie POV:

"Come here, my little Rosie," Mr. King cooed, picking me up and putting me into his lap. I gulped, my stomach crawled, and I tried to get away, but he held onto me tighter, crushing my ribcage and making it difficult for me to breathe. He pressed his lips on my neck, and he reeked of something awful, like alcohol, which I heard that Daddy and Esme both hate the taste of. "I love you, baby," he moaned as he rubbed my chest up and down while lifting my shirt up. "When these get bigger, I'll marry you," I had no idea what he was talking about, but this was the daily torture he put me through at lunch. His dirty fingers slid down my pants and then my underpants, and then I felt him touching my privates. He opened my legs wide and suddenly, there was a sharp pain in between my legs. I started crying, and he slapped me across the face. "Be a good girl, please,"

"STOP IT!" I screamed, and he hit me again, this time on my butt. The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and I pulled my pants up. He sighed, kissed my bare chest, got up, and walked away. Every day, Auntie Renee asked me why I was crying after lunch, and I had to explain that Jane was being mean to me again. She never listened to anyone when they told her to stop, so I didn't care.

Esme POV:

I was so glad Carlisle and I were back together, and I would have killed Lily, had Carlisle not stopped me. I wanted to strangle her to death for trying to ruin things with my loving fiancee, just because she wanted him back!

After dinner, it was time to give the girls a bath, and Carlisle wasn't home yet from work. I ran the bath water and put some bubbles in it. That's when I saw Rosalie, with Alice trailing behind her.

"Let's give you and Alice a bubble bath, okay, baby?" I said, leading her forward.

"I wanna wear my bathing suit. Wait,"

"Yay! I like bubble bath," Alice said happily, stripping and getting into the tub. She played with a little ducky, and she was almost done when Rosalie walked in and stepped into the tub carefully. I scrubbed Alice's hair clean and washed her off, and then it was time for me to help Rosalie. I noticed some handprints on her arms and legs, and I sucked in a gasp. They looked fresh and a little red, but I knew she'd fight with me if I asked her about them. Someone was definitely hurting her, but I had no idea who.

"What happened, honey?" I asked carefully.

"I fell down at school," she mumbled.

"I need to wash the rest of your body, sweetie, please take the suit off,"

Rosalie grumbled and took the suit off. I almost fainted from shock of seeing handprints on her ribcage, her back, and her thighs. "Has someone been hurting you?"

"No one, Mommy," Alice squeaked.

"No, I'm just clumsy, and people catch me,"

"You fall on your vagina? That's impossible, sweetheart. Who is doing this to you, sweetie?" I asked, trying to stop the sobs from rising from my throat. "Did someone spank you?"

"No one, I said!" Rosalie insisted.

"You can tell me, sweetheart…"

"No, no, no!" she screamed, splashing bath water onto the floor as she banged her hands in the water. She quickly got out, covered herself with a towel, and running to her room.

"Mommy, she'll tell you when she's ready," Alice informed me.

"Do you know?" I asked.

"Yes,"

"Who is it?" I asked eagerly, ready to tell Carlisle so he could beat the person to oblivion.

"I can't tell you!" Alice shrieked.

"Why?" I held onto her shoulders.

"He'll hurt you too!" She collapsed into my arms, sobbing.

So it was a grown man that was hurting my stepdaughter-to-be. I didn't want to believe it, but as realization hit me that it wasn't just a little kid, because a little kid couldn't possibly hurt a grown woman like me, tears fell from my cheeks. If only Alice said his name, I could get my hands on him, or rather, Carlisle could. When he came home that night, I reported to him that I thought someone was hurting her. "Maybe talk to the principal about this,"

"I did," Carlisle said, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "Who is hurting my little girl?" he thundered.

"Alice said it was a man, and she said he'd hurt me if I knew who it was, and I don't know who it is!"

The next day in school, I checked my Facebook page and deleted the nasty comments that Lily had written me, because I knew now that arguing with her was a waste of time, since I knew Carlisle loved me, and only me. My heart fixed itself back up, and I was happy just surfing through Facebook. I stopped when I found a friend of a friend's page. The woman's name was Lizzie Gomez, and her status said, "I'm free at last. Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last," and the comments read, "He's gone?", "YAY!", and a bunch of smiley faces. She replied, "No, I got away and where I live is a secret =)"

I added her as a friend, because I was also a victim of domestic abuse, and she accepted me. We got to talking, and I found out her ex was Royce King. I gasped in horror as I realized that a wife beater was the principal of my kids' school. She was happy to know I'd killed Charles and had a beautiful family of my own, and she was in hiding from Royce.

Oh my God, could the principal be the man who was hurting Rosalie? But he was a wife beater, not a child molester…or maybe he was. I just needed proof.

The head shots…the fact that she was his favorite student…all the nightmares of someone hurting her…the way she looked at me and gripped onto my wrists that day when Mr. King appeared behind me and stared straight into her eyes…how terrified and upset she was when he subbed for their kindergarten class...it all came clear to me now. She was his sick obsession, and I almost threw up in my mouth.

**Read and review, please, every chapter! It means so much to me! =)**

**Next chapter: serious ass-kicking!**


	39. No Way Out

**OMG OVER 100 REVIEWS? Thankyouthankyouthankyou! That's what I get for updating so fast! **

Esme POV:

I quickly ran to his office, realizing it was lunchtime, but saw no one in the room. Where was she? I needed to save her before he hurt her again. During my frantic search, I ran into Renee.

"Oh, hi, Esme…how are you and Carlisle now?"

"We're back together!"

"What's wrong? You look really pale,"

"I'm just looking for-" I started, but then Emmett and Alice came running at us, almost slamming into our legs, shouting, "MOMMY! MOMMY!" They were gasping, out of breath, and almost crying. We both bent down to their levels.

"Yes, baby?" Renee asked Emmett as Alice pulled me closer, whimpering, "Mommy," into my chest. I smoothed back her hair and kissed her forehead.

"What is it, darling?" I asked. She just wept into my shoulder as I held her close.

"A mean man is bothering Rosie!" Emmett cried.

"A bad man was hurting Rosie! He took her in a car!" Alice wailed.

"Oh god, where?" Renee panicked.

Renee and I looked at each other with alarm in our eyes, racked our brains, and tried to figure something out. We quickly sprang to action. "I'll follow him with Alice. Renee, call your husband, and get mine at the hospital with Emmett!" I instructed. She nodded.

"Come on! They went this way!" Alice said, grabbing my hand and pulling me so we were running down the hallway. I saw a car with Rosalie inside just pulling out of the parking lot.

"There it is! Follow that car!" Alice shouted, getting into my car. She was about to honk the horn, but I stopped her and continued driving.

"We don't want to alert him, honey, because that will make him madder and hurt us even more. But I will drive faster and get as close to him as possible. I assume they're going to his house, since he probably wants private time with her,"

"Step on it!" Alice shouted as I slammed on the gas pedal to go quicker. "Hurry, Mommy, hurry!"

The drive to his house was only ten minutes, and we waited until he took Rosalie into his house and closed the door. Alice and I looked at each other.

"What do we do now?" she asked. "I got a blonde wig and sunglasses for you, just in case this was gonna happen today. Pretend you're a house remodeler," She handed me the supplies, and I put the wig over my head and the sunglasses over my eyes.

"Thanks, baby," I said gratefully. "Hide in the bushes when I go to the front door, okay?"

"Got it, dude!" Alice said, getting out of the car and tiptoeing to the bushes in front of his house. She squeezed her way under, and I knew that was my cue to come and knock.

"Who is it?" he roared. "You interrupted my fun!" He opened the door wide, and I smiled through my fear. "What?"

I faked a German accent. "Yees, I am ze remodeler of er, your bathroom…Olga Guckensmeyer,"

"Yeah, whatever, come on in…" I waited until he left and then rustled the bushes to let her know we were ready. Alice appeared from the bushes, shaking off leaves and debris from her clothes and hair. I scooped her into my arms and carried her to the bathroom, only one room away from him and Rosalie. Alice was shaking in my arms as Rosalie's screams grew louder and louder. I looked all around the room and saw naked pictures of Rosalie. I heard him stomping to where we were, so we hid in the shower until we heard him going downstairs in the kitchen. We tiptoed to the bedroom, and just as I expected, she was lying on his bed, with her legs wide open, sobbing her poor little heart out. I took off my wig and the sunglasses and quickly got her dressed, when we heard him coming back upstairs.

"Esme…" she whimpered.

"The closet," I whispered. "And call your daddy, he can help us," I handed her my phone and hurriedly dialed Carlisle while ushering us all into the closet.

"Daddy, help!" Rosalie screamed as Royce pounded on the locked closet door, looking for his 'precious Rosie'. The girls were clutching my legs, one on each leg, and I could barely hold myself together. I backed us all into the wall and hid behind all his coats as the knocking got louder and louder. Silent tears were falling down their faces, and my heart was beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of my chest. We were all visibly shaking, but we had to stay strong.

"Shhh, babies…" I said, but my voice was wavering and my breath was ragged.

"THAT'S IT!" we heard him yell, and it made a shiver go from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. That's when I felt something warm and wet seep between my legs, and I realized he'd scared the piss out of me. I squeezed the girls closer to my sides. If he wanted to hurt someone, I would be the first. No one touches my kids before getting through me.

"When I tell you to run, run, okay?" I said in a hushed voice.

There was a bang as the door opened. Royce looked down at us with a creepy smile spread across his face. This was Charles all over again. My knees were shaking as I got up to face him.

"RUN GIRLS!" I shouted once he cornered me to the wall. I wanted to run along with them, all the way down the hallway, down the stairs, and out of his house, but I was trapped. My voice caught in my throat when he stared at me. My feet were desperately telling me to run, but my brain was frozen in fear. I didn't know what to do next.

"MOMMY!" Alice cried, pulling a very still Rosalie with her down the hallway. They couldn't even go down the stairs.

"RUN, BABIES, RUN!" I said as he pushed me further into the wall. I swung my knee into his crotch. "STUPID BASTARD!"

"YOU BITCH!" he screamed as he fell down. I spun around and ran, but he caught my ankle and threw me down on the bed. I kicked at his face, but he held my legs down with all his might.

"N-no, p-please don't h-hurt me!" I cried. "Just leave my girls alone,"

"I am leaving them alone. You're so much better looking, dearie, but Rosalie is growing into a beautiful young woman,"

"She's almost six years old! You sick pedophile!" I tried punching him in the face, but he grabbed my wrists and held them high over my head. I struggled to get out of his grasp as he unzipped his pants and unzipped mine as well. The girls' eyes widened and they were about to throw up, I could tell.

"GET OFF ME!" I hollered between my gasps for air. "STOP! NO! NO! NO!"

"No, baby, you taste so delicious," he said, lifting up my shirt and fondling my breasts as he plunged into me. He came as he screamed with pleasure, and I was about to throw up from both the pain and discomfort. I hoped Carlisle would come soon!

"TELL HIM THE ADDRESS!" I shouted at the girls. Royce slapped me across the face and then turned me over and began going into my butt. Fresh tears streamed down my face as he went into me over and over again.

"I told you I wanted you, sweet cheeks," he chuckled. "And now I have you!" He forced his tongue inside my mouth and I bit down hard, making him stumble back off the bed. I tried to run again, but he grabbed me around the waist. "YOU AIN'T GOING ANYWHERE, YOU FUCKING WHORE!"

I could hear the girls sobbing quietly from the hallway, and I hoped help would come before he was finished with torturing me.

**Read and review, please! Royce gets his ass whooped next chapter!**


	40. Superman

Renee POV:

As I drove to the hospital, I called Charlie, but he wasn't picking up. "Voicemail, oh, damn! Um…hi, Charlie, this is Renee, we need your help, please hurry! You have to arrest Mr. King, the principal, he's at his house! I'm getting Rosalie's father right now. Please call me back! Bye,"

I pulled into the hospital parking lot and slammed on the brakes. I lifted Emmett in my arms and ran to the doors, through the hallways, and went to Dr. Cullen's floor. I almost bumped into a nurse in my haste, pulling Emmett along with me. He was running as fast as his little legs could carry him.

"Where's Dr. Cullen?" I asked breathlessly.

"Room 630!" the annoyed nurse told me. Before she finished her sentence, we were both rushing to get there before it was too late.

Carlisle POV:

A frenzied knocking at my door knocked me out of my thoughts. I opened the door and found a frazzled Renee, along with little Emmett, with tears streaming down his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked, guiding Renee to a chair so she could sit down. Emmett sat on her lap and wrapped his arms around her neck and she held him tightly. "What is it, Renee?"

She couldn't speak, but my phone rang, alerting me that it was Esme. I answered it right away, expecting to hear my fiancee's lovely voice, but instead, I heard a little voice scream, "Daddy, help!" Then, there was some laughing and crying in the background, and I sprang to action. My daughter was in trouble.

"Where are you, baby?"

"TELL HIM THE ADDRESS!" Esme shouted and then I heard a slap and some crying.

She told me the address after a few minutes when she told Alice to check. I was halfway out to the parking lot, with Renee and Emmett speeding after me to my car. "I'll be right there, sweet pea. Don't move a muscle, I will be right there,"

"HURRY, DADDY, HURRY!"

"MOMMY'S GETTING HURT!" Alice added. I revved the engine and we were off. During the ride, Renee answered her phone and breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, the address is 906 Charleston Ave. Charlie, it sounds like Esme and the kids are in danger! Bring handcuffs. Thank you so much!"

"Who's hurting them?" I asked, keeping all my concentration on the road and trying not to break the steering wheel in my anger.

"The principal," she answered in a shaky voice.

"DAMN IT!" I swore, forgetting there was a kid in the car, but Renee understood. She made another phone call to Bella and told her to wait after school with Edward in the library because she and Esme couldn't pick them up right now. This was an emergency! I saw cars lagging in front of me, and I swerved to get ahead of me, honking as I made my way through the crowded streets. I had to kill this asshole before anything else happened!

"There's the house, right there," Renee said, sounding winded.

I put the car in park, got out, and slammed the door. "Stay there, okay?"

She just nodded and soothed her son.

I ran up to the steps and pounded on the door, until I found out it was unlocked. I jerked the door open and ran upstairs to see my two girls on the floor, huddling together, with their knees pulled up to their chests, and scooting away from the bastard's bedroom. I heard struggling sounds coming from his bedroom and kicked open the door. He was on top of Esme while she was crying softly. He ran his tongue from her neck to her navel and then up and down her clit as I hissed with rage. Then, I blew up, forgetting that I wasn't a violent man. "HEY! GET THE FUCK OFF HER! GET YOUR PAWS OFF MY FIANCEE!" I growled as I pulled him back by his shoulders. I threw him against the wall and smashed his face in until I broke his nose and made both his eyes so black that I couldn't see the whites of his eyes anymore. "YOU SICK PERVERT!" I slammed my fist into his jaw, breaking it, and then I choked him until he could barely breathe. I pressed harder and harder, until I heard the Chief come in with handcuffs.

"Okay, I'll take it from here, Carlisle," he said, patting me on the back. I was still seething, so I gave Mr. King a good kick, which sent him crumpling to the floor and groaning in immense pain.

I put Esme's pants back on her and pulled her shirt back down from where it was lifted up to her neck. She was gasping and crying as she wrapped her arms around my neck and held on tight. I carried her bridal style, and saw Charlie dragging Mr. King down the steps. He tried to touch the girls, but they stepped on his hand as it dragged towards them. He howled in pain, once again. Renee came upstairs and picked up the girls. We rushed down the stairs and got into Esme's car as fast as possible.

"You okay, baby?" I asked, kissing Esme's forehead and smoothing back her hair from her face. I could tell she'd gotten raped, and I was boiling mad. I was glad I beat that guy to oblivion, because he not only hurt my fiancee, he'd been hurting my daughter for four months, and she was only five years old!

"I'm fine," she sniffled and laid her head against my chest as we sat in the backseat and Renee got in the driver's seat. I put my arm around Esme's shoulder and scooped Rosalie into my lap. Alice scooted into Esme's lap without difficulty.

"I'm just lucky our nightmare is over," Esme sobbed.

Rosalie and Alice were so shocked, they couldn't speak. They just cried while we held them in our laps, soothing them until they calmed down, whimpering, "Mommy," and "Daddy," every few seconds.

They were safe in our arms now.

**Wow! Carlisle's pretty awesome, isn't he? It was fun seeing him beating the shit out of Royce…next chapter is Rosalie's sixth birthday!**


	41. True Family

**This chapter needed to come right after the attack! Trust me.**

Esme POV:

A few days after the police caught Royce, we had to go to court. None of us wanted to see him again, because Rosalie and I shook like leaves whenever we thought about his slimy hands or tongue touching us, and Alice was always afraid of him in nightmares, and Carlisle still wanted to kill him, even though he came very close to doing so when he caught him raping me. Royce couldn't even walk in the courtroom; he had to be in a wheelchair for the moment. He had two black eyes and a bandaged nose when we saw him, and it kind of gave him a mummy look. He was also in an orange jumpsuit with his wrists locked in handcuffs. Still, he had the nerve to leer at Rosalie, until Carlisle gave him a death glare that made even me shrink in my seat in terror. He pulled me close to his side and kissed the top of my head. "He won't get you, baby, don't worry,"

"I'm not worried about myself. He's staring at Rosalie, thinking of ways to lurk over here and grab her from us or something,"

"Mommy, he's still looking at us," Alice said, gripping my arm, and I held her tight to my side.

"Don't worry, baby. The judge will make sure nothing happens, and he's in handcuffs. He can't get us anymore," I soothed her.

Rosalie was swinging her legs back and forth while sitting on the other side of Carlisle. We were all dressed in black dresses, and Carlisle was in a suit and tie. They called Royce up to the stand, and he kept his gaze fixed on Rosalie the whole time. She buried her head into Carlisle's shoulder and he rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"I don't know what the hell I'm doing here!" he complained. "All I wanted was a girlfriend!"

"You sick bastard, you wanted my little girl, that's what you wanted, and that's why you're here!" Carlisle yelled, standing up, but I pulled him back down next to me. His face slowly went from red to pink, and back to its normal color.

"I can't help it that she's gorgeous!" he protested. "Make her ugly or something,"

"Arrest this asshole already!" someone shouted, and Alice and Rosalie started giggling.

The police led Royce away before he could even do the cross examination questions. It was time for Rosalie to say her statement, and she had a lot to say. Carlisle, Alice and I went up there as witnesses, and we stood in a protective circle around her. Her lower lip started quivering as she looked out over the courtroom, and I pushed some hair away from her face. "It'll be okay, sweetie, just don't look at him. Look at the clock on the wall instead,"

"Can you hold my hand?" she asked Alice and I. Carlisle put his hands on her shoulders, and Alice and I held each of her hands. She took a deep breath before beginning her story.

"It started out okay. He was really nice to me and he called me his favorite student. A week later, he said I was pretty and gave me flowers. I thought the flowers would be a one time thing, but he gave me flowers every week, like grown ups do when they go on dates, or like what Alice's big brother did with his girlfriend. It started getting creepier. He pulled me into his lap one day and told me to be a good girl and I wouldn't feel any pain," She swallowed hard before continuing.

"You can do it, baby," Carlisle whispered to her gently as I stroked her hair. Alice hugged her around the waist and stayed there.

"He started yanking off my shirt and undoing my jeans-something that grown ups do, and it surprised and scared me, because I had no idea what he was doing or why he was doing it, because I wasn't a grown up. He said I was beautiful and he loved me, and that's why he was doing it, but I didn't think those were good reasons. So, I told him to stop, and I screamed it, like what my daddy told me to do when a stranger is doing something to me that I don't like, and Mr. King hit me a lot after that. And then, I told Alice, and we kept it a secret for a month, and Esme figured it out a few days ago, and Mr. King had me captured in his bedroom, when Alice and Esme came to save me, but Mr. King still got Esme, and me and Alice were really frightened. That's when Daddy came in to beat him up, and Uncle Charlie arrested him, and Auntie Renee carried us out of the house," By the end of her story, I saw some people crying and others glaring at the bandaged-up man in the wheelchair.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. King?" the judge asked.

"Nothing. She totally deserved it. Kids aren't supposed to tell adults what to do. So I feel no shame whatsoever. She was punished, and so was Esme. Neither of them struggled, they were weak under my power,"

"OF COURSE THEY WERE! YOU DON'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WOMEN OR GIRLS LIKE THAT!" Carlisle exclaimed, furious. The judge banged the gavel.

The members of the court went outside to discuss, and later, they came back with their answer. Royce was guilty, and the courtroom erupted into cheers.

"We find Royce King guilty of both child molestation, abuse, and rape and he is sentenced to 15-20 years in prison! Court adjourned!" the judge declared.

"Royce is behind bars now!" Carlisle explained to the girls when they asked him where the police were taking Royce. Carlisle kissed me all over and we both hugged our girls close to our chests. Bella and Edward kissed madly, and Emmett was on Renee's shoulders, pumping his fist up in the air in celebration. Jasper ran to Alice and hugged her around the waist, and Emmett did the same with Rosalie.

The girls wanted to stay in bed with Carlisle and I that night, until they were assured the nightmares were gone. Rosalie snuggled up next to me, and Alice was wrapped up in Carlisle's arms.

"It's all over now, baby," I said, kissing Rosalie's forehead and hugging her close.

"Good night, I love you, Mommy," she said back. I gasped in shock and surprise.

"I love you too, sweetheart," I said, brushing her cheek with my fingertip.

"Good night, Daddy, I love you," Alice said, catching on.

"I love you too, honey," Carlisle said, combing through Alice's hair with his fingers.

As expected, the night was quiet, except for our breathing, and all Carlisle and I could think of was how our children had called their stepparents "Mommy" and "Daddy". We were so proud of them.

**Read and review, please! Next one is Rosalie's sixth birthday party-I promise! What do you want to happen there? I have a few ideas, but you can put in ideas too if you want!**


	42. Birthday Girl

Rosalie POV:

My life was much better without _him_ bothering me all the time. This morning, I was excited because it was my sixth birthday and I was having a party! Mommy and Daddy came in my room and told me, "Good morning, birthday girl!" Then, Alice jumped on my bed, singing 'Happy Birthday' and we were ready to go downstairs and eat breakfast.

When I got to school, I was happy to see that the new principal was Mrs. Charlotte Whitlock, because she was nice for sure. Plus, she was Alice's boyfriend's mom! She was also the singing teacher at our school, and we didn't mind it if she substituted for Auntie Renee sometimes. Charlotte was also our auntie because she was another one of Mommy's best friends. She was visiting all the classes today, to get a feel of what life was like in class.

I sat in the back with Alice and Maggie, happy that I would see them at lunchtime, finally! They knew it was my birthday, so they gave me big hugs.

"Class, we have a birthday girl in here…Rosalie, come on up!" Auntie Renee said, walking over to me and taking my hand to lead me to the front of the class. "Rosie, how old are you today, honey?"

"I'm six!"

"Let's all sing Happy Birthday! One, two, three…"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR ROSIE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!"

I beamed and spun around with delight in my new pink dress and my braids with pink bows at the ends of them. I loved the attention I was getting today!

"Sweetheart, what do you say?"

"Thank you!" I squealed, jumping up and down.

"Charlotte, can you help me with this?" Mrs. Swan was asking our new principal. They both got a chair and told me to sit in it. Then, they lifted me and the chair up six times in the air and counted, "One, two, three, four, five, six!" I was set down and then laying across Mrs. Swan's lap on my tummy. She gave me six gentle pats on the butt and then an extra one for good luck.

"YAY!" I cheered, running back to sit next to Alice.

"Rosalie's mom bought cupcakes for us all to share!" Mrs. Swan announced, and I raised my hand.

"She's actually my future stepmommy, and she's really Alice's mommy,"

"Okay, then…but your dad and Esme are marrying next month, so…"

"That's okay!" I said, jumping in my seat as she passed around the cupcakes. We licked the chocolate frosting off and then ate the chocolate cake part. It was yummy!

At lunch, I played jump rope with Alice, Maggie, and Nessie, but not the boys because they said it was a girl's game. So, after jump rope, we played hopscotch and in the sandbox in the lower level playground.

"Can I play?" a girl with brown hair asked. "My name is Heidi McCarthy, and I'm Siobhan and Liam's adopted daughter. I'm nine years old,"

"NO! Go away!" Alice exclaimed. "Don't ruin Rosie's birthday!"

"But why? I just wanted to play. I don't have any friends, people have been mean to me. I just got adopted yesterday. My family burned in a house fire. I barely escaped,"

"I don't trust her," Alice whispered to me.

"Why?" I asked. "She seems perfectly nice. Maybe she had a bad life before and she needs friends,"

"Yeah, let's just give her a chance!" Maggie added. "After all, she is my sister,"

"Let's be friends!" Nessie said cheerfully, swinging her arm over Heidi's shoulders.

"That's perfect," Heidi said happily. "What are you doing for your birthday, Rosalie? And happy birthday, by the way. I hope you have a pleasant day,"

She seemed very proper for a nine year old.

"I'm having a party," I responded.

"Cool! Can I come?"

"I have to ask my mommy and daddy,"

"They don't know her. They're gonna say no," Alice whispered in my ear.

"Sorry, Heidi, I don't think my parents will let you come. Maybe another time we can play at my house or I could come to yours. But you can play with us now!"

"Fine," Heidi said, shrugging. "Let's hang out-I mean, play,"

When Mommy picked us up, we said how it was weird that Heidi used the phrase 'hang out' but Mommy thought it was stranger how Siobhan and Liam never mentioned adopting a little girl named Heidi. We brushed it off, thinking it was a simple mistake. She would call Siobhan about it later.

"Ring around the rosy, pocketful of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down!" my family sang, falling down around me.

"Can I be included and not be in the middle all the time?" I asked after the fifth time.

"You have to be! Your name is Rosie!" Alice insisted, giggling. Then, the doorbell rang and a bunch of my friends came in.

"Happy Birthday, Rosie! You're the princess of the day!" Emmett shouted, giving me a hug and spinning me around. Then, he gave me a flower and a present. He put the flower in my hair and I felt myself blushing. "Thank you!"

"Hi, Rosie! Happy birthday!" Nessie said, grinning and giving me a big hug. Maggie and Jasper copied her. The six of us went to play Pin the Tail on the Donkey, made and decorated cupcakes and cookies with frosting and colored sprinkles, we made sparkly princess crowns and bracelets and did a fashion show for the boys and Mommy and Daddy. Then, we danced a little and the boys went home.

"Bye, Rosie! I had fun!" Emmett said as he kissed me on the cheek. I felt my cheeks warm up, and then Jasper hugged me goodbye. He kissed Alice on the cheek, and she blushed too.

The girls used my makeup kit to look all pretty like a princess, and we played my game, Pretty Pretty Princess, and I won! My party was a lot of fun!

"Bye, Rosie!" Nessie said as she left with Auntie Carmen and Angela. They told me happy birthday and gave me big hugs. The last one to leave was Maggie, and she hugged me goodbye. Heidi tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped in my arms.

"You scared me!" she said, putting her hands on her hips and sticking her tongue out at Heidi.

"So-rry! I was just trying to say hello!"

Auntie Siobhan appeared behind them. "Hey, Esme, sorry I didn't mention this earlier-but we adopted little Heidi here," Siobhan put her hands on Heidi's shoulders, and the girl smiled angelically and waved at Mommy.

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Platt. I'm so glad your daughters have decided to become friends with me in school. I'm a little different," She shook Mommy's hand like a polite little girl.

"It's okay to be different," Siobhan said, smiling. "Poor thing, she lost her whole family, it's a tragedy!"

"What happened?" Mommy asked.

"The house burned down. She barely escaped,"

"I'm so sorry, honey," Mommy gave Heidi a sympathetic smile, and that's when Alice pulled me up the stairs.

"Bye, Rosie! Happy birthday!" Maggie shouted, waving at me when we were halfway up. Siobhan and Heidi waved also, so I waved back.

"Happy birthday, pumpkin," Daddy said, kissing me on the forehead.

"Thanks, Daddy!"

Mommy joined our happy family a few minutes later. "Happy birthday, baby," she said, spinning me around. "How does it feel to be six?"

"It feels awesome!"

I got my favorite dinner, pizza and fettachini, and Mommy and Daddy tucked me and Alice in bed and kissed us both on the cheeks and the forehead.

"Happy birthday, Rosie," Alice said, hugging me before we both went to sleep.

It was a fun day!

**Read and review, please! What do you think of Rosalie's birthday and her party? Do you trust Heidi? The next chapter is a fun day at school and two new students come to Esme's class! Nessie and you can guess the other one!**


	43. New Students

Nessie POV:

I hated being different, but hopefully, it would be okay now. Today was my first day in Ms. Platt's class, and I was so excited! I'd heard great things about her, and I would see it for myself today. There was another new student coming in with me, but I was introduced first because my name started with a N, and the other girl's name started with a V. I came in with Mrs. Crowley, who I didn't like all that much, because I liked Renee better because she talked to me a lot more and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.

"Hi, Nessie, come on in and join us!" Ms. Platt said animatedly.

"Remember, do not seek her out," Mrs. Crowley whispered to me, and I shrugged her off and went into Ms. Platt's warm embrace. My morning aide scowled and sat in the back of the classroom. Ms. Platt shot her a dirty look.

"Class, this is our new student, Nessie Weber. Please make her feel welcome. She's come from Mrs. Stanley's third grade class, so I'm sure you've all seen her around at one time or another. Nessie, you can take a seat in the front next to Emmett. There should be another girl here-oh, here she is! Hi, Vera,"

I sat down as I saw a small girl-smaller than me-with brown hair and glasses walk towards Ms. Platt. My teacher put her hands on Vera's shoulders. "This is Vera Biers, everyone. She just moved here from Seattle. Sweetie, why don't you sit next to Nessie?"

"Okay!" Vera skipped to the seat next to mine, and said hi to me and Emmett. We all shook hands, and it was time for class to begin. She started eating a Twinkie bar and she took a bottle of soda out of her backpack.

"My breakfast," she explained in a low voice. "I got up late, so Mommy just had me eat this, so I wouldn't starve. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,"

"Well, my mommy makes me set an alarm for seven in the morning and she makes me eat cereal or oatmeal and a piece of fruit and toast for breakfast. She says fruit is important in the morning,"

Vera stared at me blankly and shrugged her shoulders. "I hate fruit,"

"You gotta eat it, my mommy said!"

"My mommy said it was okay, just as long as I ate something,"

"Well, my mommy said no one can go without fruit. It's unhealthy," Emmett said from the other side of me. "My sister said an apple a day keeps the doctor away,"

"All right, guys…you ready to start the lesson?" Ms. Platt interrupted our conversation.

"Yeah!" everyone replied.

"We are learning fractions…so pick a fruit!"

"Bananas!" Jasper shouted.

"Strawberries!" I added.

"Apples!" Emmett chimed in.

"EW!" Vera shrieked.

"Excuse me?" Ms. Platt asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Oops…sorry, my mommy said fruit is disgusting,"

"Well, okay, but can you not shout out in the middle of class?"

"Fine, sorry,"

"It's all right,"

There was a knocking at the door, and Ms. Platt opened the door for a short girl with brown hair. "Hey, Heidi,"

"Hello, Ms. Platt. My mother said to give you this plate of cookies. Please share it with your class,"

"Thank you. And that's an interesting dress you're wearing for school,"

"It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Oh, look, Little Bo Peep texted me. She lost her sheep!" a girl yelled at her from the back.

"Yes, it's gorgeous, honey," Ms. Platt said, closing the door as Heidi left. She glared at the girl. "Chelsea, you should not have said that. That was very rude. You need to apologize instantly,"

"Sorry, Ms. Platt," she mumbled.

"Thank you. When you see her today, tell her sorry,"

"Yes, ma'am,"

"Anyway…we were doing fractions! Heidi was nice enough to bring us 24 cookies. If I took half away, how many would we have?"

I raised my hand. "Yes, Nessie?"

"We would have a dozen cookies,"

"You are correct! Now, someone else answer. How many would each person have if four people had these cookies. Yes, Emmett?"

"Six!"

"Very good! And if eight people were sharing?"

"Three!" Jasper replied.

"Excellent. Vera, can you answer the next one?"

"Um…sure?" she said, licking her fingers from the last of her Twinkie.

"If two people shared,"

"Eleven? I'm not very good at this,"

"You were very close. A dozen, which is twelve. Don't worry, you'll get better,"

"Whatever," Vera mumbled under her breath and took a swig of her soda. "Hey, Nessie, wanna come for a sleepover at my house this Friday? My mom said a bunch of people could come,"

"Sure, let me ask my mom,"

"Hey, dumbo, retard, tard lovers," Chelsea said as she passed our group of desks pushed together.

"Chelsea, that's two warnings! One more and you're out," Ms. Platt scolded her sternly.

Behind Ms. Platt's back, Vera raised up her middle finger at Chelsea and giggled.

"What does that mean?" Jasper asked her.

"Fuck you. My mommy taught me. She says it to my dad all the time. That sign's called flipping the bird,"

"Don't say that word! My mommy said it was a cursed word when my sister said it by accident!" Emmett exclaimed.

"If my mommy heard you say that, she'd call you a bunch of sissies!" Vera hissed. "The answer's simple. Don't tell anyone where you learned it,"

"That's not very nice, Vera. I don't like that word, or that hand sign,"

"You're too sweet, Nessie," Vera said, smiling. "Anyone want soda?"

Later, I had to go to speech and leave my new friends, plus Ms. Platt. I had a new partner, a tan-skinned boy in fifth grade. Mrs. Newton said his name was Jacob Black. He had Asperger's, and Mrs. Newton thought we would make friends right away. My mommy said it would take time. Jacob was very quiet, as was I. Mrs. Newton folded her arms across her chest and sighed. "Talk," she instructed.

"I'm shy," Jacob said.

"Get over it," Mrs. Newton chastised him. "Say hi to her,"

"Uh, hi, Nessie…"

"Hi, Jacob! It's very nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand as I did with everyone I met for the first time.

"So, um…what are you doing this weekend? My sisters are going out with their boyfriends, and I'm just watching movies like Star Wars,"

"I'm going shopping with my mommy and my sister Angie on Saturday and on Friday night, I'm going to a sleepover at Vera's house,"

"Cool," he muttered.

"Nessie, you need to learn independence. Have your sister take you. Your mom can take a break,"

"But she wants to go shopping," I protested. "It's unsafe to go out late,"

"Oh, don't believe those movies!" Mrs. Newton said, rolling her eyes. "It'll be fine,"

"Yeah, um…I hope we play Barbies at Vera's house,"

"Do we have to talk about Barbies?" he complained.

"Jacob, fake your interest!" Mrs. Newton commanded. "Ask her something about her Barbies,"

"Fine, what's your favorite?"

"Hawaiian Barbie. What do you like about Star Wars?"

"It's cool…the special effects and stuff…I also like Harry Potter, and I have a crush on Bella Swan, and I'm in fourth grade,"

"I'm in second grade,"

"Cool,"

"Do you want to meet my friends at lunch?"

"Sure, I just like playing on the computer in the library…no one likes me that much,"

"That's why she's asking you!" Mrs. Newton said harshly. "Don't be a dummy! Take the opportunity to make friends!"

"Fine, I'll play with you at lunch,"

"It'll be fun, Jake, I promise," I said, reaching out to pat his arm. Surprisingly, he didn't jerk away like I thought he would. "So, uh…do you like any sports?"

"All of 'em, my favorite is football and wrestling,"

The session was going pretty well, and he was shy to meet my friends at first, especially the girls, but he joined in when we played flag football. Vera was very good at it, and I introduced her to my friends.

"This is Alice, Rosalie, and Maggie," I told her, pointing to each one. "Oh, and Heidi,"

"Your sister's weird," Alice was saying to Maggie. Heidi heard her and started screaming her fool head off. We covered our ears and ran away. Then, we saw her sneak up behind Chelsea and push off the swings. Chelsea was crying and clutching onto her leg. Heidi ran back to us, and we must have looked shocked, because she asked, "What?"

"Why'd you push Chelsea off the swings?" Rosalie asked.

"Because she called me Little Bo Peep. Do you guys like my dress?" Heidi asked, spinning around.

"It looks like a dress you'd wear to church, but yeah, it's pretty," Maggie said, and we nodded in agreement.

"Chelsea deserved it. She also called some of you bad names,"

"Anyway…" Vera started. "Alice, Rosalie, and Maggie, do you want to come to my house for a sleepover this Friday?"

"My mommy doesn't know you," Alice said, crinkling her nose.

"It's okay! Just ask her! It'll be fun! And Maggie, your sister can come too. She's awesome! She pushed Chelsea off the slide!"

"Okay, I'll ask my mommy,"

"Me too," Alice and Rosalie chorused.

"You know I will!" I put in.

This weekend was gonna be a blast!

**Read and review, please! The slumber party is next chapter! What do you think of Vera? And Nessie? And this chapter? Vera is not a bad kid. She just comes from a weird family. She's based on one of my best friends.**


	44. Questionable Family

Alice POV:

Rosalie and I were eating with Edward at the kitchen table when I decided to bring up the sleepover at Vera's house.

"Mommy and Daddy?" I asked.

"Yes?" They both turned around from what they were doing.

"Can me and Rosie go to Vera's house for a sleepover on Friday night? She seems pretty cool. We had fun at lunch with her. Maggie, Nessie, and Heidi are coming too,"

"Of course you can!" Mommy exclaimed. "It strikes me funny that her mom doesn't make her eat fruit, but yes, that's fine with me. You girls have fun!"

"I trust you, girls. If you guys say Vera's nice, then she's nice," Daddy added.

"YAY!" we shouted, jumping up and down.

"Hey, Mom, Dad…there's this new girl in our class. She seems kinda weird, like a thirteen year old girl in a forty year old woman's body, the way she talks and acts…and she wears a dress to school! A dress!" Edward exclaimed. "And she wears this thick black choker around her neck and fat, black wristbands! Pigtails with big black hair ribbons, too!"

"Edward…what did I say about that? Everyone is innocent until proven guilty," Mommy said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, but she talks to Bella like a mother would to her daughter,"

"Some people are like that," Daddy said, shrugging.

"I guess so…Bella seems to like her just fine. Her name is Jane and she has blonde hair and brown eyes. She's short, like Alice's size,"

Something was weird, what my brother was talking about, but I was sure one of my dreams would tell me. I decided not to worry about it until something happened.

"What time did she say to come over?" Mommy asked us as we were packing.

"She didn't say a time…maybe we could leave around five, in a few minutes,"

"Huh…okay, whenever you're ready,"

We got there at the same time as Nessie, Maggie, and Heidi, and all of us shared a group hug. Vera came out and joined us.

"Want a group picture? You girls look adorable together!" Mommy cooed at us.

"Not me, please," Heidi said, stepping away from the camera. "You girls go ahead,"

"Okay…" Mommy snapped the picture. "You girls have fun! Oh, Vera, where's your mom?"

"I'll go get her…she said just come inside,"

"I've never met her, sweetie. It's rude to just walk into someone's house," She followed us up to the porch and we heard Vera calling for her mom around the house.

"What? What?" a woman asked, wildly looking around for Vera. "Oh, Vera's friends, the sleepover, that's right. Come on in,"

"I'm Esme, Alice and Rosalie's mother," Mommy said, reaching out her hand to shake Vera's mommy's hand.

"Victoria," the red-haired woman said. "These kids will hang out all night long,"

"Okay, have fun! Bye!" Mommy said as she walked off the porch steps. We waved bye back to her.

We followed Vera into her massive living room, where a flat-screen TV and a boy and a man playing video games were. "This is my dad, James, and my brother, Riley. Riley's twelve,"

"Hi," we all said at the same time as they waved back to us. Vera just flopped on the couch, so we did the same thing.

"What do we do now?" Nessie asked.

"Do you wanna watch a movie?" Vera asked, and everyone nodded. We were halfway through Cinderella, when Victoria called us for dinner. It was Burger King takeout, with soda.

"Um, Mrs. Biers, do you have milk or at least Gatorade?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah, but don't ya like soda?"

"Yeah…but…okay, that's fine,"

"Oh, and also, is there salad?" Rosalie asked hesitantly.

"Nope. Why would there be?" Victoria asked.

"Well, we usually have it at my house. My mommy and daddy say it's important and I kinda like it…" she trailed off when Victoria laughed loud and long. Vera gave Rosalie a sheepish smile.

We ate dinner fast and then went back to watching Cinderella, when Victoria said, "Okay, James, Riley, and I are gonna watch Spartacus at 10pm, and you have to watch it with us,"

"What's that?" I wondered aloud.

"Only the greatest TV show in the whole wide world!" Riley crowed, getting too close to me. "And, little lady, that's a hot dress you have on, by the way,"

"Ew," I murmured, sinking into the couch.

"Riley, get away from the TV! We're watching Cinderella!" Vera screamed at him.

"That's a baby movie! Here, watch this," He picked up a DVD case and threw it at his sister, who barely caught it.

"The movie is almost over," she insisted.

"All right! Turn it off," Victoria said, ejecting the DVD while everyone groaned.

"No, Mommy, we were watching that! No, please, don't!" Vera said, trying to take back her DVD that we were watching. Victoria grabbed her daughter's arm and threw her against the couch as she screamed and cried for her to let go and then she slapped her across the face.

"We're watching Spartacus: Blood and Sand,"

"Nooooooo!" Vera sobbed as she fell in the spot between me and Rosalie. "I hate her!"

We were too shocked and scared to speak. And seeing blood? EW!

"You listen to your mother," James growled as the opening credits came on. Men were fighting and throwing chains at each other. It was way too much blood and gore for me. I had to cover my eyes to keep from throwing up my dinner. After thirty minutes, Riley put in the DVD he wanted to see. It was called The Stepfather. I thought it would be good at first, but once I saw that was rated R, I said, "Mommy and Daddy don't let us see R rated movies,"

"Vera's been watchin' em since she was six," Victoria said, downing a whole bottle of beer.

"We're not allowed to," Rosalie said, whimpering as the camera showed dead people the man had apparently killed on Christmas.

"They're not here, are they?" James sneered. "Just watch it,"

"This is too scary for me," Nessie said about halfway into the movie where two people had already gotten killed onscreen. I was peeking through my fingers with one eye open and only opening my eyes for the not-so-scary parts. This movie was going to give me nightmares! I suppressed a scream when he was chasing the family with knives and stuff, because it looked exactly like Charles chasing my mommy and beating her up when I was younger. I've had a monster in my home. I've lived through this kind of thing.

"NO!" I cried, almost in tears. Rosalie was holding my arm tightly, shaking like a vibrator. The only girl who seemed unfazed was Heidi. That was strange, but maybe she just liked scary movies. But this one was realistic!

"Come on, it's just acting!" Riley laughed, slapping my knee. I flinched away from the unnecessary contact.

After the movie, Victoria showed us a video of Vera dancing to Single Ladies with a bunch of other little girls from Seattle. It was a talent show, but they dressed like those girls in reality shows, completely inappropriate.

I went to sleep and as predicted, I had a nightmare about Carlisle being the evil guy trying to kill me and my mommy and even Rosie. As the thunder boomed and the lightning flashed, I screamed out loud a few times.

"Suck it up, Alice. You're only young once," Victoria said, smirking. I saw her face through the dim light, and she'd scared me. I jumped a mile.

"OH!"

"Baby," she said, walking away.

I always thought things were better in the mornings, and this time was no different. It was still raining outside, but it was lighter and there were no sounds like thunder at least. We got up at eight and ate Eggo waffles and orange juice, which was perfectly fine.

"Do you have a boyfriend, Rosalie?" Riley asked, backing her up into a wall.

"Yes,"

"Who?"

"Emmett,"

"You're pretty. I like you," he said, thrusting his hips into hers and then walking away.

"Rosalie, come get your waffle, hurry up!" Victoria shouted. Did she not just see what her son did? Unbelievable.

"Starting out early, huh?" James snickered, patting Riley on the back. Vera just shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Leave my friends alone, Riley,"

"Don't be a smartass, Vera!" Riley said, slapping her upside the head. She punched him in the stomach and they had a mini fight until Victoria and James broke it up.

"Don't tell your brother what to do," James snapped at Vera as she shrank in her seat.

We finished hanging out at about noon, when I realized Mommy would want us home by now.

"Just stay longer, without asking your parents," Victoria scoffed when Nessie said she had to go home.

"They'd be worried,"

"Let 'em worry,"

Later, Victoria drove us home and almost got us into an accident! She was trying to pass this really slow car but she swerved around the car just as the car was trying to go past her. She honked the horn a few times and then got us home safely, but shakily.

After giving Vera and the rest of our friends hugs, Rosalie and I couldn't wait to get to our front door and away from that evil lady and the rest of her family.

**This is the kind of family my friend lives with. What do you think of this environment? Poor Vera! What do you think about Jane? Read and review please! Oh, and I loved The Stepfather. It's inappropriate for an eight year old to be watching it, though. Next chapter: the girls tell their parents that they had fun except for what Vera's family did!**


	45. Heartbreaking Truth

Carlisle POV:

"Where are they?" Esme worried, pacing back and forth in our living room just after feeding Edward lunch. "It's nearly two in the afternoon! Victoria never told me a time…"

"Did you call them?"

"I've called them three times since noon! No one picked up the phone! That's it, I'm calling them again,"

She was about to pick up the phone when the doorbell rang and there were a bunch of knocks on the door. "Oh, thank God," I breathed out while walking to the door, Esme hot on my heels. We both opened the door, wanting to see that our children were safe. We took their bags and put them on the stairs. The girls looked a little scared, and they jumped into our arms. Alice clung onto Esme for dear life and looked away from me. Rosalie never wanted to let me go, and she reached out for Esme as well.

"Where's Victoria, sweetheart?" Esme asked Alice, walking outside for a bit, searching for Victoria and then coming back in the house, frowning.

"She left, Mommy. She told us to get out of the car and everyone said bye and gave us hugs and then we came to the steps,"

"Honey, your heart is beating like a hummingbird's wings…are you okay?" I asked Rosalie, rubbing her back soothingly.

"I'm fine, Daddy…Victoria was trying to go around this other car…"

"We were about to crash! She's a bad driver!" Alice said.

"What is she doing driving kids if she's a bad driver?" Esme demanded, clapping a hand over her mouth. "Oh, baby, are you okay?"

"I just got a little scared we were gonna die," Alice said in a shaky voice. "She said we were gonna be fine but she started yelling and swearing at the driver and showing him the finger and stuff…"

"Where was Charlie during all this? Isn't this his job to catch speeders?" I asked, anger lacing my tone.

"She wasn't going too fast, Daddy. She was getting too close to another car," Rosalie explained.

"That is very dangerous, especially on these icy roads…is that woman insane?" I yelled for the safety of my kids.

"Well, did you have fun?" Esme asked, sitting down and bouncing Alice in her lap.

"A little…" Alice mumbled.

"Wait, did you girls have lunch?" I asked.

"That reminds me…I don't feel so good," Rosalie moaned, jumping out of my arms and running to the bathroom.

"We went to McDonald's for lunch, and it was good, except-" Alice hiccuped and her cheeks puffed out. She slapped a hand over her mouth and made a run for the bathroom. There were horrible vomiting sounds emitting from the bathroom and we ran to find our kids bending over the sink and the toilet. I held Rosalie's hair back while Esme held Alice's hair back.

"I think I'm allergic to McDonald's greasy food," Alice groaned, holding her stomach.

"I knew it on the first bite…but Victoria said it was the only lunch we were getting and if Vera could live on it, then so could we for one meal…" Rosalie said and then went for the toilet again.

"Did you just say she lives on it?" Esme asked, horrified. Both girls nodded.

"They don't eat salad or fruit. They have Burger King takeout every night for dinner with soda. They laughed at Rosalie for suggesting salad. I don't even think they have water. No wonder Vera's so skinny…the only good thing about the sleepover was that we had Eggo waffles drowned in whipped cream," Alice reported. I felt sick to my stomach, and tears were forming in Esme's eyes.

"We were watching Cinderella and then Victoria turned it off and made us all watch Spartacus: Blood and Sand, and when Vera argued with her mom, it turned ugly, and then we watched her brother, Riley's choice-The Stepfather," Rosalie added.

"NO!" Esme shrieked, shaking her head, her hand on her heart; she stumbed backwards until I caught her and sat us both down on the couch. "Oh, god...those little kids saw dead people...innocents getting chased or murdered...and blood and gore!" She bit her lip to keep from crying, but I kissed her tears away.

"Victoria _made_ you watch an R rated movie and show?" I roared. This woman needed to be locked up, pronto!

"Yes she did! I had a bad dream and Victoria just said I was too young and to suck it up and then she called me a baby," Alice sobbed into Esme's arms. "You killed everyone in Mommy's family!" she screeched, pointing at me. "Don't marry him, Mommy! Don't!"

I put my fist to my mouth to keep from swearing. That woman put these ideas into my daughter's head…I hated her! I loathed her!

"Honey, Carlisle's not gonna hurt us. It was just a dream. See, he loves us," Esme soothed Alice, smoothing her hair back from her face.

"I believe you, Mommy. I'll give him a week,"

"Daddy won't hurt you, Alice! He's a nice daddy!" Rosalie argued.

"He's _your_ daddy. He's my _stepfather_!"

"Alice, it was just a movie, please calm down," I begged. "I'm so sorry she did that to you guys…what else did she do that you despised?"

"She fought with Vera and made her cry…then her daddy ignored the fighting and told her to stop fighting with her mom and her brother…Riley said I was hot in my dress and then he pushed Rosie into the wall…" Alice admitted in a tiny voice.

I took a deep breath to fight the emotions and the anger bubbling up inside me. I didn't want to scare anyone, so I just asked calmly, "How old is this…animal?" I was about to say "bastard" but thought better of it.

"He's twelve," Rosalie said, wiping her tears away.

I relaxed. That was better, I suppose, just a stupid kid who didn't know right from wrong, but still, his mother-didn't she do anything like scold him?

"What did Victoria do about that?" Esme asked. She was barely able to speak with all the tears running down her cheeks.

"She just told me to hurry up and get my waffle. James, her husband, told Riley he was good for starting early and then when Vera told Riley not to bother us, he slapped her on the back of her head and then she punched him in the stomach and then James got really mad at Vera and made her fall down. He hissed a bad word at her. The B word," Rosalie said, her voice cracking. "And then Victoria told Nessie to let our parents worry and not call them. She also showed us a video of Vera and some other little girls dancing to Single Ladies with skimpy outfits on from last year. And her brother called her sexy,"

"What kind of-who does-what the hell?" I spluttered through my madness. "OH MY GOD! I'm calling Charlie!"

"No, Carlisle, it's not illegal…maybe just talk to Victoria about it, in fact, _I_ will," Esme said, putting her hands on my shoulders, immediately and effectively calming me down. She kissed my lips a few times, too. I took a big breath and blew out, slowly unclenching my fists. "I don't like the way they treat Vera or her friends either," she said, gasping as she held me around the waist, sobbing into my shirt. The look on her heartbroken face for this poor girl took all the fight out of me and all I wanted to do was hold my fiancee, along with my little girls who shouldn't have had to face this kind of life.

Esme wanted to wait until we were all cooled down, and just as we were sitting down to eat dinner, the phone rang. Esme got up to get it.

"Carmen, what's wrong?"

**Read and review, please! What do you think of the parents' reactions? Up next…Angela has trouble with a gullible Nessie.**


	46. Kidnapped

Angela POV:

I was walking Nessie home from Jacob's house, when we passed this dark alley. It was getting a little dark, and we needed to be home soon. I heard drunken laughter behind us so I ran, keeping a tight hold on my little sister's hand.

"Why are you running away from the party?" Nessie asked. "I love parties,"

"That wasn't a party," I shook my head.

"They were laughing! Don't people laugh at parties?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"Don't make me miss the party!" she screamed, trying to get away from my grasp. I yanked her closer to my side and kept running.

"They're drunk and it's dangerous for girls like us to be walking down dark alleys! We could get hurt!"

"What does drunk mean?"

"They're drinking bad stuff, like alcohol, it makes them act stupid and commit crimes like taking off all your clothes and killing you,"

"Hurry, run faster!"

"I'm trying,"

"Are we to our house yet?"

"Not yet! It's five miles away!" We stopped at a crosswalk, and I pulled her back. "You aren't allowed to cross the street,"

A car stopped in front of us and a man with long black hair got out. "Hello, girls,"

I stepped back, trying to hide my sister behind me, but she waved at him like they were best friends. "Hi! My name is Nessie! What's yours?"

"Stop it," I hissed, but she shook his hand anyway.

"I'm Aro Volturi. It's very nice to meet you, little girl. Would you and your sister like a lift?"

"No," I said firmly while Nessie nodded excitedly.

"Sure, of course! Our feet are very tired. Thank you so much,"

"And I promise to get you some ice cream. Your parents will thank me,"

"You don't know our parents," I said, taking some steps backwards when he tried to shake my hand.

"Yes, I do. You children are wonderful! And so are they! They told me to play with you!"

"Do you like classical music?" Nessie asked conversationally while I tried to subtly pull her away.

"I like all kinds. We'll have fun hanging out,"

"You know, we appreciate the offer, but no thanks," I declined, trying to make my voice not shake. I ran in the opposite direction with Nessie in tow, but she was stubborn, wanting to play whatever sick game this Aro guy had in mind. Sometimes, having a gullible sister was really, really hard, and this was an example of one of these times. My parents were going to kill me.

"Pleeeeeeeease? It'll be fun!" she begged. I groaned internally and rolled my eyes. Time for me to play the mother role.

"Nessie, I said no!" I stated, crossing my arms.

"Angie, he's a nice man. He wants to play with me," Nessie pouted, but I wasn't gonna take her stupidity. I hated Aro for making her like this. Having William's syndrome made her polite and want to be friends with everyone, even bad people.

"No, he doesn't! Come with me right now!" I grabbed her by the hand and tried pulling her away.

"I can take care of her. I'll bring her back. She just wants an ice cream, don't ya, kid?" the idiot said.

"Yup!"

"You leave her alone, old man! Can't you see she's got William's syndrome and talks to strangers?" I yelled, but he ignored me.

"Come here, little girl," Aro cooed, and my little sister obeyed while stepping on my toes.

"NOOOOOOO! OW! OW! OW!" I exclaimed, hopping up and down. Aro grabbed Nessie and threw her into his car. It drove away before I could stop them. I ran after it, screaming, "Come back!" I turned to the direction of my house and started running down my sidewalk. "Mom! Dad! Help!"

"What, mija? What?" Mom asked when she saw me run to the door.

"I was...and she said...Nessie wanted to be polite and accept this man's ice cream. I tried to stop her, but..." I burst into tears right then and it was difficult for me to speak. "She's gone, Mama,"

"Let's call the police, okay, baby?" Dad asked, wrapping my mom and I into his arms.

"Oh my God!" Mom cried as she held me and rocked me back and forth. Dad went to call Chief Swan, and he sent out a search and rescue party made up of all our friends. Mom led me to the phone and called her girlfriends, starting with Esme. The phone was on speakerphone, so I could hear through the other end.

"Hi, Esme," she said in a panicked voice through her tears.

_"Carmen, what's wrong?"_

"Angela just came home and told me Nessie was grabbed by a stranger, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Esme gasped on the other line. _"Oh my god, did you call the police?"_

"Eleazar's calling Charlie right now, arranging a search and rescue team. Can you and your family join it?"

_"Of course, I'll get everyone together right now. Carlisle? Kids? Get your warm clothes on, we're going on a search for Nessie. Carmen, where do you think he might have taken her?"_

"I don't know, I'll ask Angela," She held the phone to her chest. "Where were you guys?"

"Just five miles past your house, on the curb of the crosswalk...he went right of where were standing,"

"Thanks, sweetie. Okay, Esme, just go five miles past our house, on the curb of the crosswalk, then right of where people stand on that curb,"

_"I can't believe this happened!"_ Esme was almost in tears.

"I know, and I'm not blaming my daughter..."

_"I'm not either...I know it's Nessie's disability. Shame on that man!"_

"Good luck. We'll join you soon,"

_"Bye,"_

"Bye," Mom hung up the phone.

Mom and I drove past all the dark alleys, looking carefully in each one. Dad and the rest of the men knocked on all the houses and asked if anyone knew Aro Volturi. It was good that we knew his name and what he looked like, because then we could find him faster. Then, I saw Jane walking out of an alley, and I shouted, "Mom, stop the car!"

"Why? That girl isn't Nessie,"

"It's Jane, our new friend from school. She looks lost and scared. We should give her a lift,"

The car screeched to a stop, and I opened my car door. "Hey, Jane, we're just looking for my little sister, Nessie. Do you want to help us find her?"

"I know where she is. Go right through that building, they're in Aro's apartment. He got me too, but I fought him off just in time. She got mad at me and told me to be nice. He told me to go save myself so I just ran without saving her. I didn't know how to. I'm sorry, he was just too strong,"

"Thank you very much," Mom said quickly as Jane got in the seat next to me.

"You're welcome, ma'am,"

"Oh, it's just Carmen,"

"Very well. Hello, Angela,"

"Hey, Jane,"

Mom didn't drive the car any further, but she just called Charlie to come to where we were. There was a bunch of screaming when he opened the door with a pair of handcuffs. I knew my sister had been raped, because Dad was carrying her with her clothes ripped, and Renee was trying to redress her. Nessie was crying as she crawled into the car. She held onto me as Mom nearly growled, "Never go anyplace with a stranger ever again,"

"I won't," she sobbed.

"God, Nessie, we were so worried about you. You can thank Jane for all this,"

"Thank you,"

"It's my pleasure," she responded with a smile.

But when Siobhan asked where Heidi was, and Jane was out of our car like a bullet.

**Read and review, please! What do you think of this chapter and of Jane?**


	47. Busy Day

Esme POV:

I couldn't believe how much had happened this weekend, with my kids being in a hell house and one of my best friends' daughter being kidnapped. Once again, the girls were sleeping in our bed until they stopped having nightmares. I had seen that movie with Carlisle, and even _I_ had been scared out of my wits, but I had someone to hold me. Alice and Rosalie did not. They were truly terrified, Alice especially, because she saw me get beat up by Charles. I wish she hadn't had to see that, but she did. She was so afraid of the movie that Carlisle had to prove he didn't have dead bodies laying around in any storage boxes in his basement. Her fear was slowly dissipating after he did that, and I couldn't have been more thankful.

And poor, poor little Vera! The shit she had to go through each day, it was too much for one little girl. She was too small for an eight year old; she looked about four or five. But we couldn't do anything about it because her parents and her brother hadn't really done anything illegal. Hitting wasn't okay in mine or Carlisle's book, but maybe her mom warned her that they wanted to watch Spartacus at 10pm, and Vera fought with her. One side of me wanted to call up Charlie right away, and the other side of me wanted to adopt Vera and forget about putting her parents in jail and the kid in juvenile hall. So, I made a deal with myself: if I saw bruises or if she was bleeding anywhere, we'd adopt her and call up Charlie. Carlisle agreed with me on that, and I was happy.

At lunch, I went out to the playground to find Alice and a little Mexican girl pulling on each of Jasper's arms. I wondered what was going on.

"He's mine!" Alice screamed.

"No, he's my boyfriend! I'm older! Kindergarten baby, stick your head in gravy, wash it off with applesauce, and show it to the navy!" the other girl teased her, causing Alice to burst into tears.

"Maria, stop it!" Jasper commanded, sticking his tongue out at her. He shook off Maria and ran away with Alice. I was grateful, but I needed to give Maria a talking to.

"Hey! Pick on someone your own size!" I yelled at her, wagging my finger in her face. "How would you like it if someone did that to you?"

"He's my boyfriend!"

"Now, look. Jasper really likes Alice, so he's not that into you. Besides, she's my daughter, so don't make her cry again. Got it?"

"Fine,"

"Good," I said, walking away. Then, I reached where Alice and Jasper were playing on the swings. "You guys okay?"

"Yes, Mommy," Alice said, wiping away her tears. "Jasper made me feel all better!"

"I love you," Jasper said, hugging Alice.

"I love you too!" She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and I smiled to myself and walked away.

"Mommy! Help!" another small voice shrieked behind me. I whirled around to find Rosalie pointing to a little girl on the ground. "Look! Vera fell down! She's not moving!"

"Oh, no…okay, be calm, Esme…" I reminded myself as I followed Rosalie, who was crying.

I knelt down to Vera's side and felt her forehead. It felt hot and sweaty to the touch, so she was obviously not dead, thank God. I took her pulse and it was a little slow. It appeared she'd fainted. She was pale white.

"Rosie, honey, she's not dead. She just fainted. I'm going to take her to Daddy at the hospital. Can you tell Auntie Renee that I'll be out for a while?"

"Yes, Mommy!"

I scooped Vera in my arms, and she stirred slightly. "Sweetie, what happened?"

"I had a headache…there was things in front of my eyes…everyone had a twin sister…I don't know…" she mumbled.

I tried not to walk too fast, so I wouldn't jostle her, and I made it to the car in three minutes. "You're gonna be fine, baby. My fiancee is a doctor, he'll take care of you,"

She didn't say anything as I laid her on a blanket in the backseat and strapped her in. I kept glancing behind me to make sure nothing would happen to her. I didn't want her to fall. I heard her groan when we got there, because my car stopped.

"How are you feeling now? Still dizzy? Can you walk?" I asked, smoothing her hair back from her face.

"Yeah, I see two of you,"

"Poor baby," I murmured, holding her hand as I helped her out of the car. As we got to the steps of the building, she fell slightly, so I caught her and carried her the rest of the way. I hoped Carlisle wouldn't be too hard to find, and he wasn't, because he was wheeling someone on a gurney when I almost ran into him.

"Esme…what happened?"

"Vera fainted, you know, the girls' new friend from school,"

"Oh, dear. I'll take care of it. She needs water and a damp washcloth and she needs to sit down immediately. Jackie, please take him, my fiancee needs my help, sorry," he said, and the nurse took the gurney and left. I followed him into his office and sat Vera down on a chair. She put her head between her knees.

"I'm about to…" she started, and then there was a puddle of vomit on the floor.

After washing her mouth out, Carlisle started asking her questions while I patted her sticky face with a cold washcloth, seeing the color slowly come back to her cheeks. Then, I handed her some water. She didn't want it.

"It will make you feel a lot better, honey," I said, taking one of her clammy hands and wiping it with the washcloth.

"But I'm thirsty, and Mommy says to drink soda or Gatorade when I'm thirsty,"

"Soda and Gatorade don't quench your thirst," Carlisle said. "Water does the trick,"

"Whatever you say, doc," Vera said, taking the water from my hands. It was nice and cold, perfect for her parched throat. "Aaaaah," she breathed. "That hit the spot,"

"Yeah? You want more?" I asked, starting to get up.

"Please,"

"She needs a gallon," Carlisle whispered to me, and I nodded. The water sloshed around in the bottle I was holding, and I saw Vera licking her lips.

"Straight out of the freezer," I said, handing her the water. She gulped it down in one minute. "There you go, are you all better now?"

"A little. This stuff happens all the time, I'm used to it,"

I closed my eyes and gave her a big hug. "Tell your mother you need water otherwise you'll faint a lot,"

"I can try," she said doubtfully. "But I'm afraid of what she'll do…oops!" She clapped her hands over her mouth and started shaking and crying. I held her in my arms for five minutes, stroking her hair and whispering, "Shhh, honey, you'll be okay, you're safe here," until she calmed down. I saw that when she'd taken off her sweater from being so hot, there were handprints that marked her arms.

Suddenly, I knew our answer.

**Read and review, please! What did you think of Esme stopping the fight over Jasper and her and Carlisle with Vera? Next chapter: Bella/Edward/Tanya drama and Bella spends some time with Jane.**


	48. Best Friends?

Bella POV:

After a great lunch with my friends, I walked into my Biology class with Edward, and all of a sudden, this girl threw herself at him, kissing him all over the place.

"Get your paws off my boyfriend!" I demanded, pushing her away.

"Don't you touch me with those grimy little hands, _Isabella Swan_. What does _my boyfriend_ see in you?"

"She's got a big heart and a wonderful personality, unlike you, Tanya," Edward said, rolling his eyes and putting his arm around me. We kissed each other deeply until Tanya pulled me off Edward and threw me into a desk. I slowly got up, glaring at her. I ran to her, knocked her down on the ground, and started pulling her hair.

"You ugly bitch!" I screamed in her face. "He doesn't want you!"

"He's pretending! He loves me, don't you, Eddie?"

"Stop embarrassing yourself, Tanya. I love Bella. I see you stalking me every day, all day, and it's creeping me out. Stop fantasizing that you're with me, because you're not! Find someone else!"

"I really love you," I said, getting off Tanya and jumping into Edward's arms. She growled, "I'll get you next time, you little fucktard,"

"No, you won't. He'll never go for you,"

"Tanya, Bella, Edward, sit in your seats, please," we heard Mr. Molina say.

"Hi, Bella!" a cheery voice said out of the blue, and I jumped a mile in the air, clutching my heart and spinning around.

"Oh my god, Jane, you scared the shit out of me!" I exclaimed, taking some breaths to calm myself down.

"Sorry. I'll try not to sneak up on you. Do you hate surprises or something?"

"Yeah, I like to be prepared," I said, laughing nervously.

"That's the difference between the two of us. Like my dress?"

"I love your dress,"

"I convinced Mr. Molina to put us together as lab partners,"

"Oh, thanks, but I thought I was working with Edward,"

"I want us to work together. I want to know you more, in order for us to become friends. You see, I have no friends here. Everyone thinks I'm weird. Would you be my best girl friend?"

"Sure,"

"Thanks," she said, punching me lightly on the arm. "Wanna hang out after school?"

"I would, but I need to see Mr. Molina about our biology project,"

"I can take care of that, don't you worry," she assured me sweetly as she clapped me on the back twice. I winced, because it hurt a little. I didn't say anything, because I didn't want to sound like a big baby. I was working on having more of a backbone, and whining about a few claps to the back wouldn't help.

After school, Jane told me to stay at my locker while she talked to Mr. Molina for me. Then, Mom took us to La Push beach to hang out for a while. She offered to take a picture of us, but Jane politely declined. When my mom left, Jane sighed dramatically and we both walked to an empty toolshed.

"This is my spot where I go to think about things and write in my diary. No one is allowed to be here, it's forbidden. And you'll never know what's behind that door, because it's locked. Do you understand?" she asked, holding my arms tightly.

"Yes,"

"Good," she said, releasing her strong hold.

"Wanna see a picture I drew?" She showed me a picture of a couple almost naked and making out.

"That's a lovely drawing, but who are they?"

"My parents. They died in a fire,"

"I'm sorry to hear that,"

"My adoptive father is Caius,"

"That's nice,"

We did our homework at my house for a few hours, and then Jane had to go home right when Siobhan called to ask if Heidi was at our house playing with Emmett.

Jane called out, "Bye, Bella! See you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Jane," I called back. I saw my little brother staring up at me with confusion in his eyes.

"What is it, buddy?" I asked, ruffling Emmett's hair.

"Heidi wasn't in school today. She was in school until last Friday. Wasn't Jane a new student on Friday?"

"Yes, but what are you talking about?"

"Why does Jane go away whenever people say that Heidi's disappeared?"

"Maybe they're sisters and she's protecting Heidi?"

"Something weird's going on here,"

I was sleeping when some raps on the window woke me up. It was Jacob, professing his love for me. Poor kid, he had Asperger's and didn't get the message that I didn't love him back. As annoyed as I was at him, I tried my best to be patient with him. He was more like my kid brother than a potential boyfriend, because he acted Emmett's age. I opened the window.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

"I'm keeping my promise!" he said, struggling to stay on top of the tree.

"When did you ever promise to kill yourself falling out of Charlie's tree?"

"Look, I'm watching over you, okay?"

"I'm fine, Jake. Relax and please go home. I don't want you to get hurt or get in trouble,"

"Ok, bye, Bella,"

"See ya,"

The next day at school, I had carpooled with Angela, Kate, Bree, Rachel, and Rebecca. We met up with our boyfriends and just started talking. I was in Edward's arms as he kissed my cheek.

"Hey, Bella, do you want to sleep over at my house this Friday? We could get ready for the wedding together and hang out!" Angela said excitedly.

"Sure, that would be great!"

"Bella!" Jane shouted over the noise of students milling around and talking. I turned around and saw her coming towards me while waving. She was dodging the groups of people as fast as she could.

"Ugh, something wicked this way comes," Bree muttered.

"Who do you mean?" I asked.

"Jane. That weirdo who wears a black dress and pigtails, looks like a five year old stuck in the body of a thirteen year old," Kate explained.

"You guys have been talking about her?"

"She's stealing you away from us. You're our best friend,"

"I know. But she just told me she wanted to be my best friend-Jane!" I gasped when I saw her right there all of a sudden.

"God, you scared us!" Angela complained, jumping and putting a hand over her heart.

"Hey, bestie, we're hanging out Friday, right?" Jane asked, putting her arm around my shoulders and completely ignoring Angela. She casually pulled me out of Edward's arms, and he turned to talk to the guys. The girls just stared at us in shock and disbelief.

"I'm with Angela that night, sorry. And Esme and Carlisle's wedding is on Saturday. Can we do it Sunday?"

"Sure. Be there or be square," she said, laughing.

We linked arms and walked off to class, leaving my friends in the dust.

**Read and review, please! What do you think of Jane? And the Edward/Bella/Tanya drama? Up next: Court case! You can guess who it involves!**


	49. New Family

Vera POV:

Ms. Platt drove me home after my visit to the hospital, and as I expected, my mommy was on the couch, smoking a cigarette, my daddy was at work, and Riley was at school. I knocked on the door, and Ms. Platt stayed with me. She wanted to talk with Mommy.

Mommy swung open the door and glared at me. "Where the fuck have you been?"

"She was with me. She fainted at school, and I took her to the hospital,"

"I didn't ask you. Get outta here. Come inside, Vera," Mommy pulled me by the arm and I stumbled inside the house, crashing into the wall. She started closing the door, but Ms. Platt opened it again and walked right in.

"You know what, Mrs. Biers? You don't treat your child that way. She's only a little girl! That's it, I'm taking you to court! You and your husband better be there. And your son is a sick pervert!"

"Oh, and how do you have money for court? What kid would want _you_ for a mother? You look like a plain two cent whore,"

"How would you like my high-heeled shoe up your ass? I'll have you know that every kid at my school loves me and I'm about to marry a doctor. He said we're taking you to court tomorrow. Understand?"

"You're not taking my kid!" she shouted, pushing Ms. Platt into the wall.

"Yes, I am. I'm going to love her and care for her if the court decides I can. You don't love Vera. You never did. Did you know that because you're not giving her water, she fainted?"

"Water has nothing to do with it!"

"That statement right there proves you're not fit for a child," Ms. Platt snapped. Then, she turned to me. "See you tomorrow, darling,"

"Bye, Ms. Platt,"

"It's just Esme, sweetheart. Bye," And then she left.

"Don't believe anything that woman says. Go upstairs and play Wii," she muttered while walking away.

I wanted Esme and Carlisle to be my mommy and daddy so badly. I couldn't wait for tomorrow.

"We have Ms. Esme Platt testifying against Mrs. Victoria Biers," the judge announced. Esme and my mommy walked up to the stand with some witnesses. Esme asked her some questions and then gave her statement after placing her right hand on the bible and vowing to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

"Last Friday, my daughters went to this woman's house for her daughter's sleepover. They told my fiancee and I everything that happened at the Biers' household. Victoria and James Biers let their eight year old daughter watch R rated movies, and that night, they picked a horrifying movie which is clearly inappropriate for young children to be watching. They forced Vera to stop watching Cinderella with her friends and instead watch Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The little girls had Burger King takeout for dinner and soda for a drink. Vera told me she has that every night, and she has McDonald's for lunch every single day. She has never had water and she fainted yesterday because of it. She drives in the passenger seat of her parents' car, and Victoria almost got into an accident driving my children home, along with three others squished in the backseat. Vera has also told me that her mother beats her every time she tries to stick up for herself, and her father just ignores her and the beatings taking place. Her brother made passes at both my girls. He even called his own sister sexy when she was in a performance, dancing to Single Ladies last year, which her parents forced her to do, mostly her mother. It appears that Vera is not in a safe home environment. However, my fiancee, Carlisle, and myself, are offering to adopt Vera and love and protect her, which is what she desperately needs,"

"Thank you for your statement, Ms. Platt. Now, it's Mrs. Biers' turn to ask you cross-examination questions,"

Esme sat down in the chair and faced Mommy with a determined look in her eyes.

"First question. Did you allow your children to see my daughter?"

"Yes, but this case isn't about my children. This is about the way you treat Vera,"

"Answer the question,"

"Yes,"

"Okay, and they told you they watched that stuff that I let them watch and they ate my meals I served them, correct?"

"Yes. But you forced them to,"

"Did I force them to eat dinner or lunch? Does Vera have to eat McDonald's or should she starve?"

"No, but-"

"Answer the question!"

"No,"

"Do you agree that children should do what parents tell them?"

"Yes,"

"Do you think if children don't listen to their parents, there should be a punishment?"

"It depends-yes,"

"So do you believe that I really beat Vera, or do you think I just gave her a pat on the behind for disobeying me and fighting me in front of her friends?"

"My kids said you beat her!"

"And do you think pint-sized girls tell the truth all the time?"

"My girls do tell me and Carlisle the truth,"

"How do you know? They could be lying about everything! Vera could be a liar! You could be a liar! God knows how you became a parent! How do I know you didn't abduct your kids?"

"I know they're not liars. I saw the bruises on Vera's body from your cruel hand. Your husband does nothing to stop it. Riley is on his way to juvy. I know you beat her because she cried when I told her to tell you she should be drinking more water. I know she has been sexually assaulted by your husband and your son because Carlisle was examining her yesterday and he found vaginal tearing. And my children came home shaking and throwing up because of McDonalds food and your bad driving skills. Vera threw up because she went without water for eight years straight. The only life she's known is abuse, pain, fear. She's never been loved or protected,"

"Look, she only gets punished when she's screaming and yelling at home! Beating her builds her. It makes her stronger! How would you like it if your kids were always making noise at home?"

"They don't make noise because we don't beat them to death. And you just admitted you do beat her. Where is she when she screams and yells?"

"She screams and yells at her father and her brother,"

"She's being sexually assaulted!"

"How would you know?"

"Why else would she argue with them? She's told me herself that they have sexually harassed her!"

"Is it my fault that she was so weak that first day? Is it my fault that she was given a weed brownie? I was so goddamned stoned and passed out drunk and I was mad at her too!"

Everyone was silent, and I was surprised. I couldn't believe my own mother had done that to me!

"How do you know she was given a weed brownie?" Esme asked.

"Um…"

"Answer the question! How do you know?"

"Fine, I gave it to her! My husband didn't want to fuck me that night so he begged me to give it to her and he fucked her instead!" Mommy shouted.

"Okay, thank you, Ms. Platt," Chief Swan said while handcuffing my mommy and my daddy and sending Riley to juvenile hall. "You're free, and for child abuse, alcohol consumption with a child, and child molestation, James and Victoria Biers are guilty!" The judge banged the gavel. "Court adjourned!"

After the case, everyone cheered, and my friends gave me hugs. All of a sudden, I felt thirsty. I asked Esme for some water.

"My pleasure!" Esme said, smiling warmly. She hugged me tightly, gave me some water, and then later, she and Carlisle signed adoption papers. They tucked me into bed and kissed me goodnight on both cheeks.

"One of the greatest joys in life is having one's hair brushed," Esme said while brushing my hair gently with a comb, getting rid of all the snarls. "And you're our girl just in time for the wedding. You can be a flower girl too,"

"Yay! You're my sissy now!" Alice cheered, snuggling in bed with me. Rosalie joined a few minutes later and jumped on the bed happily.

"I love you, sissy," She hugged me around my waist.

"Love you too," It was a group hug now, all three of us. Esme and Carlisle took pictures of us three sisters and then told us all to go to sleep.

"Good night, Vera. Esme and I love you," Carlisle said, leaving the room with Esme.

"Good night, Carlisle! Good night, Esme!" I called out, waving and blowing them kisses. "I love you too," I laid my head down on the soft pillow and cuddled up in the warm sheets and covers.

And I got the best night of sleep in eight years.

**Read and review, please! I miss your reviews, Miss Esme, for the last chapter! These reviews mean so much to me! But thank you to CullenLove678 and CarlisleandEsme8 for reviewing every single chapter! The wedding is in the next chapter! I'll try to get something scary up for Halloween!**


	50. Perfect Marriage

Esme POV:

I woke up to my four best friends standing over me and smiling. I looked at the alarm clock, rolled over, and groaned, putting my pillow over my head.

"Esme…get up!" Renee said, trying to tug off the pillow. I groaned again as she succeeded and the pillow was thrown against the wall.

Carmen yanked off the bedsheets and the cold air hit me so fast I didn't even see it coming, and I gasped. "I'm cold…" I complained.

"Then it's a good thing we're going to a spa. Come on, you know you want to. It's your big day!" Charlotte said.

"Your wedding!" Siobhan sang.

"I'm going to pour water on you if you don't get up," Renee threatened, and that was all it took to get me out of bed.

"All right, all right," I sighed. I dressed in sweats because I didn't care if they got dirty while I was pampering. I got my legs waxed before going into the shower, and the girls ignored my screams. It really hurt! After the shower, we got massages in the spa and then they did my hair. It was straightened with side bangs. Then, they applied makeup and French nails, and pretty soon, I looked like a goddess. It reminded me of the first time I went to the club thirteen years ago. When I stepped into my dress and put the veil over my head, we all gasped. I spun around in elation, glad that my big day had finally come.

"Wait let me check something…you have blue eyeshadow on your eyes, your dress is new, your jewelry is old, and those are my shoes, I want them back," Renee said, laughing.

"Mommy, we're back!" Alice sang, and I remembered that Carlisle had taken the kids to the beauty shop and Edward to the haircut place, so I didn't let him see me just yet.

A few hours later, I was standing between Renee and Carmen, ready to follow Alice, Rosalie, and Vera, who were dressed in cute purple dresses with flowers in their hair and their hands, and my bridesmaids wore light purple lacy dresses **(Esme's dress at Bella's birthday in New Moon)**, but Carlisle's eyes were only for me. When our eyes met, mine filled with tears. He took my hand in his and brought me to him in a hug.

Then, it was time for the wedding vows, the binding words that would keep us together forever.

"We now join in holy matrimony Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle Cullen, do you take this woman, Esme Platt, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"

"I do," he professed, wiping a tear that was falling from my eye with his thumb. I noticed his voice was breaking slightly, too.

"And do you, Esme Platt, take this man, Carlisle Cullen, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"

"I do," I said with a sniffle. We then exchanged rings.

"You may now kiss the bride," the priest said to Carlisle. "I now pronounce you Mrs. Esme Cullen!" he said to me. I beamed and wiped my tears away. This wedding was a dream come true.

With those words, Carlisle brought my face up to his and kissed my lips softly. I grabbed his hair and made the kiss a little more forceful. When we both started moaning, we were pulled apart by Renee and Charlie. We ran down the aisle with rice being thrown at us. Carlisle slid off my garter, to my extreme embarrassment, and threw it to Edward. I tossed up the bouquet and it landed in Bella's waiting hands. They both jumped up, hugging and laughing. Then, they shared a sweet kiss.

Carlisle took one look at me and was spellbound by my appearance.

"You're breathtaking," he said as he embraced me.

"Thanks,"

He was too busy ogling at me to notice that it was time to eat. The others were ravenous, and left us alone together in the foyer. He stroked my hair and kept tracing my cheekbones. Excited chills ran through me and I tried to breathe evenly. We were pressed against each other, and soon, he was speaking against my chest.

"You're irresistible, do you know that?"

"Thanks to my sisters," I gasped.

"You are stunning without all that makeup and the dress," His words vibrated through my body. I was trapped in a reverie. My heart was beating faster than a drum, and I was sure he could feel it. He listened to my chest undulate. Suddenly, his lips left my chest and met my lips. I was on the verge of hyperventilating, and he felt that. He lifted my chin up and examined my face carefully in his big strong hands. "Are you ok, darling?"

He made me so dizzy that I was shaking a little. My eyes rolled back in my head and I almost blacked out, but soon, I came back to reality. Carlisle put his arms around my body, supporting me so I wouldn't faint.

"I'm fine, just lightheaded," I breathed.

"Don't do that to her just yet, Carlisle," Renee scolded him playfully. "Come on and eat, you two lovebirds,"

The rest of the wedding was fun. We fed each other cake and danced with our friends and families, and soon, we were off to our honeymoon in Paris!

Carlisle POV **(before the wedding)**:

I woke up to find Esme not in my bed, but I knew why. She was with her friends, getting ready. I couldn't wait to see what she looked like, but I bet she'd look beautiful. Three excited squeals tore me from my thoughts and I opened my arms to the girls bouncing on my bed and throwing themselves into my waiting arms.

"Good morning, Daddy!" Rosalie greeted me.

"Where's Mommy?" Alice asked.

"She went to the hair and nails place to get ready for our wedding," I answered her.

"Aw, I miss Esme…can we go too?" Vera asked excitedly.

"Sure, I'm taking Edward to the barbers anyway…you guys can come along,"

"YAY!"

"No, Dad, I don't need a haircut," Edward griped.

"Shut up, Edwierdo," Alice snapped, hitting his arm lightly.

"It is looking a little shaggy," Bella said, running her fingers through Edward's hair and giggling.

"If you say so," he said, kissing her.

"Hey, if you're gonna be like that all day, you're not getting a haircut, Bells," Charlie said, shaking his head. Then, he turned to me. "We're taking all the kids to the barber shop, right?"

"That's the plan. The ladies are in charge today," I said, laughing.

"It's hard getting up alone," Peter said. "But when Jasper and Kate woke me up, my day got much brighter,"

"Heidi and Maggie woke us up…I barely got sleep last night," Liam sighed. "Then, Siobhan got out of bed at five in the morning or something…" he rubbed his eyes.

"We were scared of the lightning, Daddy," Heidi said sweetly.

"I know, honey,"

"Ok, kids…let's rock and roll," Eleazar said, lifting Nessie up into his arms.

"Vamanos, let's go!" Angela cheered.

Two hours later, the girls were in brightly colored dresses with their hair either curled or straightened, and the boys were in what they called monkey suits, and us men had our hair combed back with gel and we were dressed in tuxedos. When I saw Esme, I gasped. She looked so gorgeous and watching her walk up to me got my adrenaline pumping. I couldn't stop staring into her eyes. I lifted her chin up with my finger and kissed her luscious lips. "Hey, sweetheart,"

"Hey, honey,"

This was certainly a wedding to remember.

**Read and review, please! The next chapter is after the honeymoon, when Heidi comes to sleep over at the Cullens' house. If I don't get it up by tomorrow because I'll be really busy with my friends for trick or treating, I'll say it now: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!**


	51. Creepy

Esme POV:

The girls had Heidi over for a sleepover, and we put them to bed at about ten, since most of them were getting tired. I washed the dishes until I felt Carlisle wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing the back of my neck.

"Oh god…Carlisle, not now," I moaned, but stopped washing the dishes. "We can't…the kids are sleeping, OH!" I almost shouted, surprised. "You're an animal!"

"I can't resist you, Esme," he growled, unbuttoning my shirt and my pants. He lifted me up onto the counter and kissed me from my forehead to my clit. I was panting and bucking my hips into him and suddenly, he had me pressed up against the counters, putting it into my butt. We were moaning, but we were interrupted by a flash of lightning, illuminating Heidi in the shadows.

"Oh, God!" Shocked, I started fumbling with the buttons on my blouse and Carlisle helped me put my jeans back on. He redressed himself quickly and let me take care of Heidi. She wasn't supposed to see that. I went into her room where she was painting quietly, like she didn't even notice us doing anything wrong.

"Heidi…I need to talk to you about what happened just now. There are certain things that grown-ups do, that kids aren't supposed to see, and that was one of them. See, when two grown-ups love each other very, very much, they like to. show that love to each other -"

Her back was turned the entire time I explained it. "I know," she said, turning around to face me. "They fuck," she said, like it was nothing, and turned back to her artwork.

I stared at her open-mouthed and couldn't think of anything else to say. How did she learn that word?

"I don't know where she got that kind of language," I said, cuddling into Carlisle's side.

"Maybe her last family was like, 'Pass the fucking potatoes' at dinner all the time or something," Carlisle said, shrugging when I told him. We both laughed. That may have been the case, because Vera's past family was exactly like that. Later, it started getting weirder, because Siobhan called me and said Mrs. Cope told her and Liam that she thought there was something wrong with Heidi, because trouble seemed to follow her everywhere she went.

Bella POV:

My phone rang, and it was Angela, so I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Bella, I need to tell you something. It's about Jane. You might think you know her, but you don't,"

"She said we were best friends,"

"Right, well, when I told her I wanted to hang out with you, she banged me into the wall and threatened to beat me up if I went anywhere near you. She's way too possessive of you. And then when Ben went to defend me, she slapped him across the face really hard and gave him a split lip. I'm not kidding. Jane punched someone else in the eye,"

"Oh my God. I'll have to talk to her tomorrow,"

"Please do. She's not that innocent,"

"Don't worry, I will,"

The next day in class, people were talking about the mysterious disappearance of Mr. Molina, but I went straight up to Jane. "I heard you threatened Angela. You can't inflict violence on my friends, otherwise we aren't friends anymore!"

"That little-ugh! I apologize, Bella, but she was bothering me. I promise not to do it again. Please forgive me,"

"Okay, I forgive you,"

Jane smiled and gave me a bone-crushing hug. Then, she slapped me on the arm. It really hurt, so I slapped her right back.

"Ow! You hurt me, Jane,"

"Whoops! Sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"Why did you hit me?"

"Because I don't want you hanging around your friends, family, or your boyfriend anymore,"

I stared at the bruise on my arm. "Why?"

"They're bad influences on you. You're with me, not with anyone else, got it?"

"I'm sorry, I can't do that, Jane. You can't take me from everyone I know and love,"

"YOU FILTHY BITCH!" Jane shrieked, and her fist came flying at my eye. A few hours later, I had ice pressed to my eye and Jane by my side, making apologies profusely.

"I'll only forgive you if you never do it again,"

"Sorry. I went crazy! I don't know what came over me!"

"It's okay. But what will happen if I hang out with my friends at school?"

"You don't want to know," Jane said darkly.

Jane's behavior got even more strange when I came to her house late, because of traffic and my mom wanted to drive slowly.

"Honey, what's with all these bruises and your black eye? Who is hurting my baby girl?" Mom asked, concerned.

"It's nothing I can't handle!" I said with exasperation, and got out of the car. "See you later," I gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek and ran up to Jane's door and rang the doorbell.

"Where the fuck were you?" Jane growled.

"Um…my mom didn't want the car to slip on the icy roads, so she had to drive extra carefully and slowly,"

"You're late! Do you hate me or something? Huh?" she asked, cornering me into a wall. "HUH?"

"No, I don't hate you!"

"Do you care about me?"

"Yes, of course I care about you,"

"Well, icy roads is not a good reason to be late! Do you understand?" She pushed her knee into my groin and went too close to my face. I backed away as far as I possibly could.

"Y-yes," I said nervously.

"Good. Never be late again,"

"If it's my mom-"

"Then your mom will pay," she said in a dangerous voice that made chills crawl up my spine. I shivered involuntarily. "Don't just stand there!" She pushed me against the wall, making me bang my head on the door. "Move it, move it, move it!" She spanked me hard and then ran away while laughing. "And if you dump me as a friend, bad things will happen," she said seriously. My face drained of all its color, and I felt weak. I gulped when she grabbed my arm and flung me on the couch. "You will be mine forever," I tried to punch her in the face, but she slapped my hand away.

"Please, stop!" I shouted. "Let's just do something else…like talk!"

"That's fine with me. We can finish this up later," Jane said nonchalantly.

I had no idea how to get rid of her.

**Read and review, please! Next chapter: terrifying things happen! The rest of this story is based on the movie Orphan and a little on the Stepfather (as far as the stuff he does) because I can't think of anything else to write here. **


	52. Terrified

Maggie POV:

A lady came to our house to talk to my mommy and daddy about Heidi, and we were listening in. It sounded like Heidi was bad news, and we had to get rid of her and quick!

"That lady's trying to take me away," Heidi whispered into my ear. "I want to get rid of her," She pulled me into a tool shed and showed me a gun. "Want to play?"

I shook my head, starting to get scared. "Maybe later," she said, shrugging and getting out a hammer instead. I followed her to where Mrs. Cope was getting into her car. "We're just gonna scare her," Heidi told me. She pushed me in front of the car as it was driving away, and my heart rate sped up. The car screeched to a stop.

"Oh, honey, are you okay?" Mrs. Cope tried to comfort me as I lay there crying. I looked up at Heidi, who had the hammer in her hand. Mrs. Cope followed my gaze and widened her eyes. Before I knew it, Heidi smashed Mrs. Cope's face in with the hammer, and later, she died, while rolling down the snowy hill. I couldn't stop my sobs of terror.

"Stop crying," Heidi instructed me. "Help me hide her,"

Emmett POV:

I couldn't believe what I just saw. Was that Maggie and Heidi coming out from behind the tool shed with a bloody hammer? Something was definitely wrong. Later that night, when Jane slept over at Bella's house, Jane, not Heidi, appeared in my room, grabbed me by my shirt while I was sleeping, and woke me up while I froze in fear. "If you tell anyone what you just saw, I will cut your hairless little prick off before you even figure out what it's for! Do you understand me?" She held her scissors high above my eye and went, "Snip, snip. Oh, you just pissed yourself," Sure enough, I felt something warm and wet in my pants.

I was still shaking as I tried to go back to sleep. Were they the same person?

Bella POV:

"What happened, Charlie?" Mom asked Dad the next morning while Jane and I were eating pancakes. Emmett seemed very tense as he sat next to me, and I held his hand to soothe him.

"We found a dead body by the bushes in La Push, it was a woman, but we couldn't tell who it was. She had been beaten to death,"

"Oh, God!" Mom said, covering her mouth. "That poor woman!"

"And we also found a man who died in his home. He'd been dead for quite a while,"

"Oh, that's terrible!"

"Accidents happen," Jane said, shaking her head slightly and then scooping up a piece of pancake and shoving it into her mouth. "Anyway, thanks for getting me a job, Bella. Can your mom take us to Newton's?"

"Sure, Jane. No problem,"

But once Jane found out she had to fill out papers for her job, she just up and quit.

"She didn't take the job? But I thought you said she'd love it," Mom said, confused when I told her the story.

"She did love it. She just didn't want to fill anything out. It's like she's trying to hide who she is,"

"Do you know who she is?"

"I don't think so,"

"And another thing, Esme called me and said Heidi walked in on Esme and Carlisle having sex, and Heidi acted like it was nothing. She even said, when Esme explained what they were doing, "I know. They fuck,"

"Weird," I commented. "Wait, that's Heidi, not Jane,"

"Yeah, and Mrs. Cope, the orphanage lady said trouble seems to follow Heidi wherever she goes. That's what Siobhan told me,"

"I don't trust her,"

"Me neither, baby. Emmett, you are not to speak to Heidi anymore, do you understand?" Mom said in a stern voice, ruffling his hair. He nodded solemnly and hugged Mom around the waist tightly.

"I promise, Mommy. And I'll keep Rosie, Ali, Nessie, Vera, Maggie, and Jasper away too,"

"That's my good boy," she praised him.

Bree POV:

"Sweetie, would you mind helping me with something? You too, Maggie," Mom said, leading Maggie and I into Heidi's bedroom. "Something is wrong with Heidi, and you guys can help me look for anything suspicious in here. Has she hurt either of you?"

"Nope," I said, and Maggie shook her head, too. But Heidi was very strange.

"Well, Esme told me that Heidi knew more about sex than a child her age. I'm just gonna look in here…Volterra Institute?" Mom pulled out a book out of the drawer, the book Heidi always carried…the same one Jane carried. It dawned on me that Heidi and Jane were the exact same person. I gasped.

"Mom, look it up, that Volterra place,"

"I'm on it. Girls, look for other things,"

Siobhan POV:

I researched that place online, and called the number of the place. "Hello, Volterra Institute, how may I help you?" an Italian man asked over the phone.

"Yes, hi, do you have any information about a little girl named Heidi? It seems that this is the first orphanage she went to,"

There was a pause. "We have no record of her ever being here. And this is not an orphanage. Volterra Institute is a mental hospital,"

"What?"

"Goodbye," the voice said automatically, and hung up. I groaned, and suddenly, Heidi was in front of me. I jumped in surprise. "Oh, you scared me!"

"I brought some flowers for you, Mommy," Heidi said sweetly, and brought from behind her back a bouquet of lovely flowers from the garden that I'd spent months growing.

"Get out! Get out!" I screamed at her, yanking her arm while she howled in pain. "Give me those! You know not to pick flowers from the garden! I've been working so hard growing them!"

"OW! YOU'RE HURTING ME!" she cried. Then, she ran away from me as fast as she could.

3rd person POV:

Heidi walked into her bedroom and put her arm into a vise, placed a towel-wrapped screwdriver into her own mouth to muffle her sounds and broke her own arm, to fake that Siobhan was hurting her. She let out a bloodcurdling scream as her arm broke slowly, but she had to get Siobhan in trouble. The only person she'd go to was Liam, because he trusted her completely.

Liam POV:

I heard Heidi screaming her little head off, and I went into her room. "Siobhan broke my arm," she sobbed.

"What? Oh, do you want to go to the dentist, honey?"

"No, Daddy, can you stay with me?"

"So I should cancel the dentist?"

"YES!"

I went downstairs and started yelling at my wife. "How could you do that to her? She's just a little girl!"

"I did not grab her that hard!" Siobhan insisted.

"Then why does she have a cast on her arm?"

"I don't know, but I didn't grab her that hard! I would never hurt a child intentionally!"

"You hate her, though,"

"She is getting on my nerves. Did you know she dug up the flowers today?"

"That's annoying, but you didn't have to break-"

"Enough," Siobhan snapped at me. "You can sleep alone, jerk!"

Carlisle POV:

"Siobhan broke Heidi's arm, I can't believe that," I said with annoyance.

"I don't either. Siobhan says she didn't grab her that hard, and I believe her. Heidi is bad news, according to Mrs. Cope and now, Siobhan, and Alice, Rosalie, and Vera are terrified of her. And if Alice is scared of Heidi…"

"We know Heidi's no good," I finished Esme's sentence.

"Exactly," she said, biting her lip and burying her head into my shoulder.

**Read and review, please! Next chapter…climax!**


	53. Dangerous

Bree POV:

My mom was talking to me about how I was doing at school, when I saw out of the corner of my eye, Heidi and Maggie getting into Mom's van. I heard the car start, and Heidi jumped out. The car started rolling backwards, with my little sister in the van.

"Mom!" I shouted. "Look!"

Mom spun around and screamed, "MAGGIE!" She ran down the street, chasing the car. "MAGGIE! MAGGIE!"

Thankfully, a man jumped into the van and stopped the car. Mom carried Maggie back to where I was standing, frozen in fear. Maggie was crying, and Mom was soothing her. "You're okay, baby. You're okay,"

"Mommy…" Maggie sobbed.

"I know, honey, I know,"

Emmett POV:

I was shooting paintballs at a wood board just outside my house. "Cool," I said to myself when I saw the bright colors. Then, I saw a blackbird perched on top of the board, took aim, and shot. The bird fell onto the snowy ground, lifeless. I gasped in horror and rushed over to the bird. Before I knew it, Jane and Bella joined me. Bella stared at me, wide-eyed.

"I didn't mean to do it! I didn't think it would hurt it!"

Jane picked up a rock and my heart beat faster. "What are you doing?"

"I'm putting it out of its misery," she said simply, and she raised the rock high over the bird.

"No-" Bella started, but the rock was slammed on top of the poor bird, and blood splattered everywhere. My sister looked like she was about to hurl, and Jane turned to her and said, "It's in heaven now,"

"Oh, god," Bella groaned, and ran for the house. I followed her, and our mommy ushered us inside.

"Hello," Jane said, entering the house before we could close the door. Mommy gasped.

"Jane, what happened with your hand?"

"I cut it on a rock. It's nothing, Mrs. Swan," she said dismissively.

When Jane left, Bella threw up into the sink. Mommy rubbed her back soothingly and then went to make dinner. I tried to get the disturbing images of Jane killing a bird in cold blood out of my mind.

Edward POV:

"You sure she didn't learn that word from school?" Dad asked Mom about Heidi.

"No, she knew what it meant!" Esme said. "And Siobhan told me that Maggie was in a runaway car, about to get killed,"

"It was Heidi's fault. I saw her," Rosalie commented.

"Me too!" Vera chimed in.

"She was in my nightmare!" Alice wailed, clearly upset. "Something bad's gonna happen!"

Maggie POV:

"Mags, do you know what Heidi's doing?" Bree asked me, and I shook my head.

"I can't tell,"

"Come on, then we can tell Mom and Dad, they can save us! They can get rid of Heidi," I urged her. "Did she leave you in that van?"

"Yes," I said, and started crying. "She-she killed Mrs. Cope with a hammer, and the tool shed…"

"What about the tool shed?" I whispered, my blood going cold.

"She put bad things in there,"

We stared at each other for a moment until we heard Heidi singing.

"You've got to give a little, take a little,

and let your poor heart break a little.

That's the story of, that's the glory of love.

You've got to laugh a little, cry a little,

until the clouds roll by a little.

That's the story of, that's the glory of love.

As long as there's the two of us,

we've got the world and all it's charms.

And when the world is through with us,

we've got each other's arms.

You've got to win a little, lose a little,

yes, and always have the blues a little.

That's the story of, that's the glory of love.

That's the story of, that's the glory of love,"

I shuddered. "She's coming. We'll get through this, don't worry," I combed my fingers through her curls and held her close.

Later, I went into the tool shed and found a bloody hammer and a gun. I was about to throw them out, when Jane tapped me. I jumped and let out a shout of horror, pressing my hand to my heart.

"What are you doing?"

"I just need to set these on fire," I stated nervously.

"Oh, really?" she said, eyeing me suspiciously. "Too bad you don't have the matches,"

Before I could blink an eye, the place was on fire. I tried backing away, yelling for my mom. "MOM! MOM!" I saw her in the window, on the phone.

Jane was grinning up at me, and I saw a blonde wig fall off her head. She was Heidi. They were the same person. I kept screaming, but I knew death was coming. There was only one thing I could do to keep myself alive-jump out the window. It wasn't too far, I'd probably only get a broken limb and sent to the hospital. So that's what I did.

The pain was excruciating as I lay there, hearing the bone in my arm crunch under my back, and my head was throbbing, but at least I was alive. I couldn't fight back the tears, though.

"OH MY GOD! BREE!" Mom cried, running towards me and picking me up. "Dr. Cullen, please help me! Bree fell out of the tool shed and it was set on fire!" Her eyes set on Heidi/Jane, and she cried harder. "YOU! YOU DID THIS! YOU BITCH!" She slapped Heidi/Jane across the face a few times until we had to go to the emergency room.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" she screamed in Heidi/Jane's face. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER, YOU BITCH?"

"Ow," Heidi/Jane cried, but no one was believing her false pretense. Well, no one but Dad.

"Stop it, Siobhan!" he commanded, holding her back. She was struggling until the nurses poked needles into her and got her sedated. I was wheeled into a room, and out of my blurred vision, I saw Dr. Cullen working over me, and my consciousness went in and out…

**Read and review, please! Next chapter is the **_**real **_**climax!**


	54. Family Sticks Together

Alice POV:

"Mommy, what happened to Bree?" I sniffled, scooting into my mommy's lap.

"Oh, baby, she'll be okay, she's just got a broken arm," Mommy said, but I could tell she was crying. Heidi stood directly across from us, smirking. Suddenly, I remembered a dream I had-Heidi asking Auntie Renee for a dollar so she could go to the Coke machine, but then Bree was smothered with the dollar bill. I gasped out loud.

"Rosie, distract Heidi, she's gonna kill Bree," I whispered to Rosalie.

"You do it! She freaks me out!"

"NO!" I whimpred.

"Mrs. Swan, may I please have a dollar to go to the Coke machine?" Heidi asked.

"Say no," I mouthed to Auntie Renee.

"Sorry, dear, you need to stay here,"

"Bella and I need some time alone,"

"Eddie, go follow them, I'm scared," I told him. He nodded and ruffled my hair.

Bella POV:

"We're gonna take care of that meddling bitch, and you're helping me. Give me a dollar," Heidi snapped. "If you haven't figured it out yet, my real name is Jane Volturi. Hand over the money," She held out a hand and wiggled her fingers and then snapped them impatiently.

I stood my ground. "No," My eyes flickered behind me, and I saw Edward standing there quietly, behind a wall. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Excuse me?"

"Nope, sorry,"

Jane gripped my wrist and slammed me into the Coke machine. Then, she was suddenly pulled back by my savior. "Jane, you're being a little rough with her,"

"So what if I am?" she asked, twisting his arm to make him let go.

"I'll tell her parents,"

"Oh, that reminds me. I have to go back to Daddy. I promised him something,"

Liam POV:

Alice ran to me and started whispering into my ear. "Heidi's gonna do something bad to you. I saw it in a nightmare, you're gonna die! You have to get rid of her!"

"Um…Esme, your daughter…" I said, confused.

"She's a little psychic. Whatever she told you is very important to know. Save yourself and put a knife into your pocket,"

I shook my head and then decided to go home. Heidi was there, in a long black dress and makeup all over her face, like some kind of prostitute. What was she doing? I groaned and fell onto the couch. She sat next to me, set out candles, started playing sentimental, romantic, creepy music, and moved herself closer to my side.

"Hello, darling," she said in a seductive tone.

"What are you doing?" I asked, inching away from her.

"I just made you a snack. You must be starving," she said, putting a grape into my mouth. Then, she put a grape into her lipstick-covered mouth and leaned in closer. She stroked her thumb across my cheek, and I slapped her hand away.

"What? I like being close to you. Don't you love me? I thought you loved me, Daddy. Don't worry about Mommy. She can't pry anymore,"

"Stop it, Heidi. I do love you, but as a daughter. Don't do that, it's so wrong!"

"Am I being a bad girl? You can spank me if you want, on my ass," she said, looking up at me from under her mascara-covered eyelashes.

I got up quickly. "Get away from me and get that shit off your face! Go to bed right now!"

She threw herself on top of me, kissing me all over. I was so disgusted that I threw her off me and she landed into the other side of the wall, holding her lip. She was bleeding and crying.

"You broke my heart! Now you'll pay, bastard," she growled lowly, going upstairs slowly.

I got out a knife, just in case.

Siobhan POV:

I'd been out for a few hours, and I needed to know if Bree was okay. Esme assured me that she was, thanks to Alice's premonition, and then, I got a phone call from the Volterra Institute.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Is this Siobhan McCarthy?" the Italian man asked.

"Yes, this is she…wait, who is calling?"

"Dr. Marcus from Volterra Institute. I got your number from Mrs. Smith,"

I sat up straighter in my bed, rubbing my sore forehead. I felt so tired, but I needed to figure this out. I remembered printing out a picture of Heidi and sending it to them. "Did you get the picture I sent you of Heidi? Did you recognize her?"

"Yes, I did. Where is she now?"

"She's at home with my husband,"

"You need to call him and get Heidi out of the house. Then call the police,"

"He doesn't believe me that she's bad,"

"Then tell him that the little girl in the picture isn't a little girl,"

"What?" I gasped, frightened.

"Her name is Jane Volturi, and she's 33 years old, with proportional dwarfism. She only looks like a little girl…she escaped from here a few months ago!"

"That has to be a mistake…"

"Does she have the scars?"

"What scars?" I began getting dressed and gathering my stuff.

"Around her wrists and neck…she had to be kept in a straitjacket to keep from hurting the staff…she was one of our most violent patients. She kept fighting the straitjacket until it left her scars. She's been keeping up the act of being a child for most of her life, working for wealthy pedophiles. She even got a set of perfect teeth to cover up her adult teeth, which are yellow. When she was arrested, she pretended to be a child, so she wouldn't go to jail, and then she was sent to an orphanage. You're not her first victim…she's been adopted before. She seduces the father, and when he doesn't feel the same way towards her, she kills the whole family,"

"She burned the house down," I realized suddenly.

"Yes,"

I was horrified. I ran out, calling Liam. "Goddamn it, pick up the fucking phone!" I screamed as I drove home quickly. "Get her the fuck out of the house! She's dangerous!"

I was panicking as I drove home, thinking about what my other children were doing, and my friends…where were they? I sure hoped Alice warned them about Heidi…

Esme POV:

"Hurry, Mommy, you have to hurry!" Alice was shouting as we were almost pulling up to the McCarthy's driveway. "He's gonna die!"

I knew what we had to do, distract her from killing Liam. Siobhan would be home soon.

"I'm going as fast as I can, sweetie," I said breathlessly.

The car screeched to a stop as we got out and ran to the door. We found Heidi, covered in makeup running down her face, snaggletoothed yellow teeth, and scars around her wrist and neck, on the floor, groaning in pain. Liam kept stabbing her with the knife, and when he was sure she was dead, he ran to his room. All of us backed away, when suddenly, Heidi growled loudly. I screamed as she reached for my ankle.

I saw headlights outside the door, and Heidi got out a gun. Siobhan ran inside. "Where's Liam?"

"He just went into his room," Renee said breathlessly. "Take care of Heidi!"

"It's actually Jane Volturi, age 33," Siobhan said, smiling.

Jane clenched her teeth, snarled, and started chasing Siobhan around the house, down hallways, slamming doors, as she screamed, and then a gunshot sound filled the house. She held her bloody shoulder and kept running until she reached a frozen pond. We watched in horror as the two women fought for their lives. Renee called her husband to arrest Jane, if this didn't work out. I was afraid for Siobhan's life. Jane scratched at my friend's face like an animal, and Siobhan held the gun down, pushing Jane away from her. Jane was inches away from drowning in the frozen pond. "Please don't hurt me. Don't let me die, Mommy,"

"I'm not your fuckin' mommy!" Siobhan hissed, kicking her face, making her go back into the black, icy waters, cracking her neck. We now knew that Jane was dead. Everyone cheered and Carlisle had to operate on Siobhan now. We were just lucky we made it out alive.

**Read and review, please! End of the horror story…now onto the epilogue, covering a few months' time, from March through July. It's gonna be a happy ending!**


	55. Epilogue: Happy Together

Renee POV:

After that thriller was over, we were ready to celebrate Maggie and Emmett's birthdays in school and at home. Maggie had a princess party, while Emmett had a baseball party. It was amazing how our lives could still go on after the nightmare we'd just gone through. It was only a few days ago that Jane had been threatening my children's lives.

Alice's sixth birthday was April 9th, and she took all us girls shopping and then went to see a movie with Jasper. It was so adorable, because he kissed her on the lips this time. It was interesting to see Carlisle's facial expression as he watched his little girl grow up before his eyes. He was shocked until Esme hit him playfully on the shoulder and started kissing his lips. I laughed until Charlie kissed me passionately. The fire was still there, after all those years.

Jasper's eighth birthday was celebrated at a local ranch, and the kids had fun going on the 'horsies' and of course, Emmett rode with Rosalie, and Jasper rode with Alice. The older couples went off by themselves and so did the adults. It was almost time for school to get out, and everyone was excited. It had been a fun year, but boy, were there a lot of traumatizing things that happened!

Over the summer, Jacob and Nessie became a couple in Special Olympics, which they'd just joined and then gone to the Summer Games. They told us they danced together all night on Saturday, and we were so proud of them and how well they did in their swim meet and Jacob's track meet. They made many new friends, such as Sam, Emily, Leah, Seth, Paul, (who was now dating Rachel), Jared, Kim, Quil, Claire, and Embry. That was a big group, and now, Jacob and Nessie had a lot of friends to invite to parties who were more like them in level of intelligence.

Carlisle POV:

Esme's party in July was so much fun-no one let her do anything that day. I served her breakfast in bed, and then the kids came in and joined us.

"Good morning, Daddy. Happy Birthday, Mommy!" Vera greeted us. Esme and I stared at each other.

"She just called us-" Esme started, surprised.

"I know," I said into her hair.

"I'm part of the family, after all!" Vera giggled. "And don't worry, I'm nothing like Heidi,"

"Jane," Esme corrected with a shiver.

"She's dead now," I reassured all of them. "Happy birthday, sweetheart," I said to Esme, kissing her lips.

"Thanks, dear," Esme said, giggling. Her laughter was the death of me.

Edward came in with a cake, singing 'Happy Birthday', and pretty soon, we were all laughing, eating the cake together, until we got a phone call. It was Carmen, and she wanted us to watch her class's hip hop dance to some song. We were all excited as we packed our things to watch the show at her house. I got out my recorder, as did all the other parents, and the kids took their positions on the large living room floor. Carmen started the music.

_[Usher:] _

_Yeah, Yeah Yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeaah _

_Yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeaah _

_[Usher (Verse 1):] _

_I'm in the club with my homies, tryna get a lil V-I, keep it down on the low key, cause you know how it feels. _

_I said shorty she was checkin up on me, from the game she was spittin my ear you'd think that she knew me. _

_So we decided to chill _

_Conversation got heavy, she had me feelin like she's ready to blow! _

_(Watch Out!, Watch Out!) _

_She saying come get me, come get me, _

_So I got up and followed her to the floor, she said baby lets go, _

_When I told her I said _

_[Usher (Chorus):] _

_Yeah (yeah) Shorty got down to come and get me _

_Yeah (yeah) I got so caught up I forgot she told me _

_Yeah (yeah) Cause if my girl new it'd be best to hold me _

_Yeah (yeah) Next thing I knew she was all up on me screaming: _

_Yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeaah _

_Yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeaah _

_Shes all up in my head now, got me thinking that it might good idea to take her with me, _

_Cause she's ready to leave. _

_Now I gotta keep it real now, cause on a one-to-ten she's a certified twenty, and that just aint me. _

_Cause I do know if I take that chance just where is it gonna lead, _

_But what I do know is the way she dance makes shorty alright with me. _

_The way she getting low! _

_I'm like yeah, just work that out for me. _

_She asked for one more dance and I'm _

_Like yeah, how the hell am I supposed to leave? _

_And I said _

_[Chorus] _

_[Lil' Jon:] _

_Luda! _

_[Ludacris (Verse 3):] _

_Watch out! _

_My outfit's ridiculous, In the club lookin' so conspicuous. _

_And Rowl! These women al on the prowl, if you hold the head steady I'm a milk the cow. _

_Forget about the game I'm a spit the truth, I won't stop till I get em in they birthday suits. _

_So gimmie the rhythm and it'll be off with they clothes, then bend over to the front and touch your toes. _

_I left the jag and I took the roles, if they aint cutting then I put em on foot patrol. _

_How you like me now, when my pinky's valued over three hundred thousand, _

_Lets drank you the one to please, Ludacris fill cups like double d's. _

_Me and Ush once more and we leave em dead, we want a lady in the street but a freak in the bed to say _

_[Chorus] _

_[Ludacris (Bridge):] _

_Take that and rewind it back, Lil' Jon got the rhythm make ya booty go (clap) _

_Take that and rewind it back, Ursher got the voice make ya booty go (clap) _

_Take that and rewind it back, Ludacris got the flow make ya booty go (clap) _

_Take that and rewind it back, Lil' Jon got the rhythm make ya booty go (clap) _

_a let me see you do tha A town star _

_a do the A town star _

_and do the muscle _

_and do the muscle _

_and do the muscle _

_and do the muscle _

_a thunderr clap hey _

_a thunderr clap hey _

_a thunderr clap hey _

_a thunderr clap hey _

_and rock away _

_rock away _

_rock away _

_rock away _

_and turn! _

The room erupted into applause as the kids froze in their positions, with black pants and white tank tops (for the girls) and for the boys, it was jeans and a black t-shirt. After the clapping died down, the children rushed into our arms, and we held them tight. They knew they would be forever loved.

"I love you," Esme said, staring into my eyes.

"I love you too. Forever," I promised, lifting her chin up to mine, kissing her lips softly at first, but then with more force.

"It's my birthday. You know what I want," she said with a suggestive smile, licking her lips.

"Oh, yeah," I snickered. "You'll be forever loved, baby girl," She dissolved into giggles as I kissed her madly.

**Read and review, please! That's the end, people! Thank you all so much for your kind reviews! You really kept me motivated writing this story.**

**Next Story: Alice and Jasper have been best friends since they met when Alice was in kindergarten and Jasper was in second grade. But now, Alice has a huge crush on Jasper when she sees him in freshman year. Jasper is with Maria, but when Alice goes out with Royce, he develops feelings for her. When will they get together? Secrets will be revealed! First chapter up tomorrow…**

**It's kinda like the song You Belong with Me by Taylor Swift, so what title should I give this story? Maybe "Been Here the Whole Time"? Or do you have a better title?**


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